


A Trip Down Memory Lane

by ThatPotatoWhoWrites



Series: Surviving A Flood Gives Deep Roots [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Sith Padmé Amidala
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:56:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 38,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23674228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatPotatoWhoWrites/pseuds/ThatPotatoWhoWrites
Summary: When Darth Sidious breaks free of prison, Padmé knows she must immediately take action. Even if it means she must destroy her perfect parole record. Will Anakin be able to convince her to stay out of it, or will he end up chasing two Sith across the galaxy?
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Anakin Skywalker, Leia Organa & Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Leia Organa, Padmé Amidala & Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Surviving A Flood Gives Deep Roots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1702633
Comments: 45
Kudos: 67





	1. Glitter and Glue

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second fic of this series, so it you haven’t already I would suggest reading the first one before you begin this one. As with the previous fic, this story will have mentions of physical and psychological torture within it, so if you find it difficult to read such things I wouldn’t proceed. If you still want to read it anyway, you are more than welcome.
> 
> Hopefully this story will turn out a lot better than my previous one. I wrote that one within two weeks and got very lazy towards the end, as you could probably tell. To be fair, I accidentally planned the story when I got caught between being awake and asleep so what else could I have expected. Anyway, this one will be better planned out and hopefully make more sense. Enjoy!

Padmé couldn't contain her smile as she watched Luke's frantic toddling back and forwards. In his hands, he clutched a quivering, white envelope. In her small living room there wasn't much space for him to pace, but he was making good use of what he could. Leia was sitting next to her mother on the angular, grey couches. Although she was trying to play it off by lying back limply on the seat, her own excitement was buzzing through the force. A sweet lemon scent drifted off the candle she had burning on her glass coffee table. The wall opposite the ‘l’ shaped couches they sat upon was covered in panels of long windows. Light streamed in, illuminating the navy carpet and charcoal walls. "Luke, honey," Padmé clasped her hands over her knee. "If you don't calm down, he'll sense you before he gets here."

Luke let out a startled squeak and threw himself onto the couch. Closing his eyes over, the little boy tried desperately to push away his excitement. It was like watching a paddle bat away a rubber ball that was tied by an elastic to its surface. Leia clutched a small, black box that was tied up with a grey ribbon close to her chest. With her eyes screwed tightly shut, she was trying so hard to calm herself that a small line developed between her brows. A loud knock echoed throughout the house. Both children let out whispered squeals, their eyes snapped open. Padmé pushed herself to her feet and walked towards the open doorway that led into a compact, monochrome kitchen. Halting, she turned back to the children. They were both sitting up, perfectly straight, and staring intently at her. "Remember what we practiced," she sang to them softly. Both nodded their heads furiously. 

With that, she rounded the corner and came face to face with a large, rectangular door. Waving her hand across the activation panel, it let out a shrill beep. The door slid open, revealing a tall man in dark Jedi robes. Anakin's face lit up with a smile when he saw her. Padmé stepped to the side, allowing him to enter the apartment. "Well hello, master Jedi," Padmé chuckled. The door slotted back into place behind him.

Anakin's smile widened. "I still don't think Obi-wan has forgiven me for secretly getting married," he shook his head.

Padmé playfully rolled her eyes. "It's only been six years since he found out, you have to be patient with him," her sardonic tone lingered on every word. A light chuckle was drawn from under his breath. Lifting his eyes to the open doorway that led to the children, a wave of curiosity rolled off of him. Luke and Leia were still buzzing with poorly concealed excitement. "They're waiting for you," she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the twins.

Anakin lifted his brows up and met her eyes, "oh dear." With that he stepped around her and made his way through the apartment towards the them. Padmé moved to follow him, but a rush of cold darkness washed over her skin. It froze her in her tracks. A phantom voice cackled in her ear.

"Well done, daddy!" A chorus of the twins’ voices dragged her mind back to her body. Blinking hard, she pushed aside the sensation. Whatever it was, it could be dealt with later. By the time she reached the lounge, Anakin was perched on the edge of one of her couches, each leg sorting a child.

"We got you these!" Luke presented his father with the small white envelope and Leia the black box. Padmé leaned against the doorway and watched them with a smile. Anakin had to shift his grip on the twins to accept the gifts.

"Why thank you," he hummed back to them, a grin split his face from ear to ear. The children bounced excitedly as they watched him delicately pull apart the envelope. Padmé couldn't help but notice how much the three had changed in the last six years. The twins had more than tripled in size, as expected of a child. Anakin's most drastic change was that of his hair. It was no longer the untamed mane it used to be. It was much shorter, although it still maintained more length than when he was a padawan. The hair was sleeked back and held a moderate wave throughout. 

When Anakin pulled out the white card within, a huge plume of glitter blew up into the air. "That was Leia," Luke commented dryly. 

"Hey, you spilled the glitter," Leia snipped back. The pair glared at each other intensely.

"It looks wonderful," Anakin mitigated, holding up the incredibly shiny, very messy card. The words 'Well done' were fat and stretched out, hardly recognisable to the untrained eye. When he pried it open, the paper crackled and crunched. Another cloud of glitter fluttered down onto her carpet. Padmé knew the first moment she had a chance, that glitter would be meeting a suction tube. "Well done daddy, for becoming a super master Jedi. Love, Luke and Leia," Anakin read out the words scribbled within. "Thank you, guys," he reached out and pulled them into a tight hug.

Leia squirmed out of his grasps. "Open your present!" she begged. Luke frantically nodded his head in agreement.

"Okay, okay," Anakin laughed. Delicately undoing the bow, he pulled the box open. Padmé felt amusement rise within her when his shock reverberated through the force. Reaching out, he plucked a small, cylindrical machine from a velvety bed. With wide eyes and an open mouth, he met her gaze. Sending him a gentle smile, she shrugged. "A terawatt kyber converter?" his voice hitched.

"For your lightsaber!" Luke cheered, throwing his small arms into the air.

Anakin blew out a puff of air and placed the machine back into the box gently. Slotting the lid back on, he placed it on the couch beside him and tugged both twins into a deathly tight embrace, drawing them in his robes. "Do you like it?" Leia asked quietly, from inside his arms.

"I love it. You did a great job," he commended them. The twins' presences lit up upon receiving his praise. Anakin lifted his eyes back to Padmé's once more. Silently, he mouthed a thanks and she responded with a gentle smile. After a moment or two of the hug, he rose to his feet and placed the children down on the floor. "We had better get back to the temple," he sighed, sliding the children's gifts into the folds of his clothing. "Their classes start early tomorrow."

Padmé's heart drooped a little, but she didn't let it reach her face. "Of course," she replied, walking back through the apartment to the front door. A train of footsteps followed her through. Dropping down to one knee, she turned to face the twins in front of the door. Their elation was dampened. Both of them stared at the floor with wobbling lips. Padmé pulled them into a tight hug. "I love you both. Be good for your father," she told them, feigning a stern tone. Releasing them she flicked her eyes between their watery gazes. "Remember, in the temple its master Skywalker, not daddy."

"We know," they mumbled in unison.

Patting their shoulders, she rose to her feet and met Anakin's blue stare. The smile had vanished, the corners of his lips tugged down. "I will drop them off at the same time next week," he told her gently, reaching out and opening the door with a flick of his wrist.

"Brilliant," Padmé chirped, keeping a smile pressed on her face. Turning to the kids, she winked with one eye, "I'll see you then."

Anakin bid her goodbye, before slipping through the door. The twin's followed more hesitantly. With one last wave they began trekking down the long hallway that led to the outside world. The door slid shut. Padmé let out a weary sigh, but kept her spirits high until she felt the trilogy of light slipping off into the distance. Only then, did she return to her living room and collapse back onto one of the couches. The streams of sunlight illuminated the mess of glitter on the floor. Tears sprung to her eyes. Taking in a shaky breath, she reminded herself it wouldn't be long until she saw them again. 

The clattering of pots and pans in her kitchen told her she would soon have company. Blinking back the water, she reached out and grabbed the small datapad that lay on the couch beside her. Flicking it open, she browsed through the recent news stories. The noise of machine whirring filled the air. Padmé lifted her head just in time to see 3PO waddling through the doorway with a rattling cup of tea in his hands. "Good evening Mrs Padmé," He greeted her jovially. The golden droid placed the steaming mug before her on the glass table. "This should boost your spirits. It's lemon and chamomile," he explained.

Padmé stooped forwards and picked up the mug with a clink. It's overpowering citrusy-sweet scent drifted by her nose. The yellow liquid within sloshed against the sides. "My favourite, thank you threepio," she murmered. Takin a sip, the hot liquid was sweet but left a bitterly dry taste on the tongue. It made her crave more. "I trust you are feeling better now?" she lifted her brows over the rim of the mug. The hot steam gently caressed her face.

"Indeed," 3PO nodded. The poor droid was always so worn out after the twin's visited. If Padmé looked close enough, she could still see glitter wedged into the small crevices of his plating. Luckily, the children's occupation with preparing their surprise for Anakin had given 3PO much needed time to deactivate and recharge. "I must say, I am rather upset I didn't get to see master Anakin," the droid warbled.

"I'll make sure you see him next time," Padmé promised him. 

"That would be wonderful," the droid lifted his angular arms in delight. "As for the current moment, do you have any tasks for me?"

Padmé pressed her lips into a thin line. Threepio liked to stay busy, and she didn't blame him. It is easier to live with a mind filled with new information than one that kept re-running the past. "Well, the children's bedsheets need refreshed and I would appreciate it if you could straighten out my work clothes."

"Of course, mistress," Threepio dipped his head and waddled back out of the room. Padmé worked a small office job. It bored her out of her skull, but she knew it was for the best whilst she was on probation. 

Taking another flavour filled sip of tea, she leaned back into the couch and returned her gaze to the data pad. When she refreshed the feed, her blood ran cold. Lurching forwards, she placed her mug down on the glass. Some of the hot liquid dribbled over the sides and onto her table. Padmé had to re-read the newest headline a few times until she really accept it. White hot panic rose within her. 'On the day of his execution, the nefarious Sith Lord Sheev Palpatine break's free from prison'. Sucking in a deep breath, she gritted her teeth hard. The time for idly playing house was over.


	2. Mission Impossible

Anakin leaned his elbows on the tall fencing in front of him. The ground he stood atop was an arching, dark balcony that overlooked a cylindrical training hall. The glossy floor gleamed from the intense lights. Several small children in Jedi-youngling robes were lined in ordered rows in front of a tall Jedi Knight. They each clutched long wooden batons in their hands. The Knight was taking them through some of the basic forms in lightsaber combat, his voice echoed across the chamber. Half of his greying hair was pulled away from his eyes and secured at the back of his head. It sent shocks of familiarity coursing through Anakin's brain. That had been the very same Jedi Knight that taught him how to fight with a lightsaber.

The twins were standing side by side in the back row. Although Anakin was concealing his presence, they stared up at him occasionally when no one else was looking. They knew better than to loose focus on their lesson however, and did little else to acknowledge their father. Anakin noted with pride that their stances were a little neater than the other younglings. No doubt a by-product of the occasional extra lessons he would give them. 

Despite being in such close proximity with them, his mind was buzzing with unease. Palpatine was loose. It wasn't like the last time. The Sith didn't have millions of clone troopers at his command. Still, the threat was no less real. It might be the biggest danger the galaxy has faced since he assumed the power of Emperor. 

Anakin felt Obi-wan before he saw him, so he wasn't startled when his old master leaned down onto the railings beside him. "I thought I might find you here," he whispered, keeping his eyes focused on the children below.

"I just had to make sure they were safe," Anakin murmured, pulling his brows down. 'Who do think his first target will be when he breaks out?' Padmé's voice hissed aggressively at the back of his mind. It sent goosebumps prickling over his skin. Luke and Leia were in the most immediate danger of them all.

Obi-Wan cast blue eyes towards him. Lifting a hand, he squeezed Anakin's shoulder. "They will be safe here. You were in the council meeting when we devised their protection plan," he spoke in a gentle murmur. "You and I will be the ones hunting Sidious down. Our strength has grown a lot in the past few years, yours especially." It was true. The Jedi might not have been on the battlefield any longer, but they were in constant demand all across the galaxy. It gave a lot of time to gain experience and grow power.

"I know," Anakin ran a hand down his face. "We are going to drag that scum back to prison," he hissed.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "Don't get arrogant," he chastised. "Sidious is still incredibly powerful and a master of the darkside." Anakin felt a flicker of annoyance rise within him. They were both Jedi master's and yet Kenobi always had to correct and speak to Anakin like he would a petulant child. Jutting his jaw to one side, he simply decided to heed his master's warning instead of being angered by it. A beat of silence passed between them. "What of Padmé?" Obi-wan asked, staring down at the twins below.

Anakin felt his muscles tense. "I don't know how she is going to react," he mumbled, leaning his head into his hand. It was true that the pair still got along relatively well, but there was a lot of uncharted territory between them. Although much of her demeanour had remained the same as before order sixty-six, there was a lot of uncharted territory between them. Occasionally the terrifying thought that the woman he married never really existed crossed his mind. Once upon a time he might have thought he knew her like the back of his hand, but he wasn't that naive anymore. There was no way he could predict her next move when he only knew snippets of her past with Sidious.

"I think it would be best if you kept a close eye on her," Obi-wan hummed. "I don't think she will be able to resist a chance to bring him down."

Anakin dipped his head in agreement. "We will know if she makes a move because her probational Officer is instructed to inform us if she fails to report on time," he responded evenly. Obi-Wan peered at him with blank eyes. "I will visit her tomorrow to see if I can figure out how she has taken the news," he added, pressing his lips into a thin line.

Obi-Wan stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "I will start some interrogations then," he commented. Anakin simply nodded. The quicker they acted, the quicker they could stop Sidious.

*

Padmé clung to the dark shadowy corners of the office she found herself within. A salty stench nipped the humid air. It had been a long time since she had visited the senate. The force wasn't as black around the building as she remembered it being. Probably because it was no longer led by two Sith. Instead it felt more like staring into a night sky. Pitch black, save the hundreds of luminous pinpricks within. There were people in the senate that finally wanted to do some real good. The man that operated from the office she was hiding in was no such person.

Through the shadowy darkness, she could make out the sharp contours of a scaly face. A large arching fin curved with the head it grew from. The harsh light from a data pad illuminated hundreds of sharp, pointed teeth. Two black, beady eyes scanned the device that was clutched in his webbed fingers. Rolling her shoulders, she stepped out of the darkness towards him. "Senator Andulu, it's been a while," she greeted him in a low voice.

The senator jolted, dropping his datapad to the desk. The moment he saw her, his clawed hands scrambled over the desk's surface. Andulu drew in a deep breath to shout for help, but before he could Padmé used the force to grip his neck and silence the noise before it could be made. "After all the time we've known each other, I thought you'd know better than that," she tutted. The senator scratched at his throat, letting out strained wheezes. After keeping him gasping for a few minutes, she released him. Andulu collapsed back into his chair and took in deep gulps of breath. "Where did Palpatine go?" she barked, leaning down and placing her palms on the desk in front of him.

"Why should I help you? I could just call a guard back up here and have them throw you back in the looney bin," he hissed through bared teeth.

"You could," Padmé sighed, feigning distress. "I could also lead them to all of my records of your dealings with Palpatine and the separatist army." Andulu clamped his jaw shut. "Senators are supposed to be figures the public can put their trust in. How could the public trust a war-mongering traitor?" she kept her voice flinty and deep.

"I haven't made contact with Palpatine in years," Andulu grumbled, leaning further back into his seat. "How would I know where he has gone?" 

Annoyance flickered within her. Gritting her teeth, she stood up straight and towered over the senator. "You run the shipyard just south of the Courescant prison," she placed a hand on her hip. "Palpatine was heading southbound after his escape." The Senator peered up at her with a stony glare. "You know everything that happens on your docks, so you know exactly where he is." Andulu flicked the fins on either side of his face. Before he spoke, Padmé felt his deceitful intentions pulsing through the force. Once again she reached out with the darkside, but this time she wrapped it firmly around his heart. The senator let out a gasp, doubling over and smacking his head off the desk. "Don't even think about lying to me," she snarled.

Andulu let out a pained gasp. "Alright, alright. Please stop, I'll tell you," he wheezed. Padmé obliged his request, releasing him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she watched his snivelling form with cold eyes. "I don't know where he went, but I do know who freed him," the senator spoke with ragged breath. Padmé cocked a brow. "A bounty hunter, new on the scene, called Tro-Efren."

"Where can I find him," she grumbled, sensing the truth finally.

"The word is, he operates from a small cantina called the wooden droid in Port city," Andulu pressed the heel of his palm against his chest and let out a bitter cough. Padmé jutted her jaw to one side. That city was on Nemo, a small rocky planet in the mid-rim. Perhaps the only reason people knew of it was because of the local's masterful way of cooking fish.

Leaning back onto her heels, she trained her sights on Andulu. "I'm going to take one of your ships," she informed him stonily. "If I meet any resistance, I won't hesitate to crush your throat from the other side of the planet." Andulu let out a grunt in response. Padmé could feel he really believed her threat. Good for him, because it was very real.


	3. Tattle Tail

Padmé chopped away at the long orange vegetable pinned beneath her finger tips. A pot sat bubbling on top of her humming heating mantle. The plumes of steam that streamed from its gaping mouth blanched the glassy windows infront of her that peered out across the peachy city skyline. The ambrosial scent of mouthwatering soup lingered in the air. The room cradled her in heat. Without realising it, she was humming beneath her breath. 

A loud knock startled her from her calm state. A blindingly bright presence buzzed anxiously behind her door. "I'll get it, miss Amidala," threepio called to her as he came waddling into the room. Padmé lifted the small board she had been chopping the vegetables on and positioned it at the top of the pot. With the back of her knife, she pushed the finely diced food into the oil spotted liquid that boiled below. The door whooshed as it slid open. "Master Anakin!" Threepio cheered happily. "How lovely to see you."

Placing her chopping board back down onto her countertop, she plucked another dewy vegetable from the colourful array lined up in front of her. Practiced precision allowed her to make swift, clean cuts. "It's good to see you too 3PO," Anakin greeted the droid warmly. The door clicked shut.

"Is there anything I can provide you?" Threepio asked, his mechanical joints whirring. "A cup of tea perhaps?"

"No, I'm okay thank you. I've just come to check on Padmé," he explained. A beat of silence passed. Only the hard thunk of the knife meeting the chopping board could be heard. "Not noticed any suspicious behaviour, have you?" Anakin chuckled. Padmé could feel his eyes resting on her. Lifting her head, she met his gaze with a playfully irritated smile. In response, he shrugged innocently.

"Now that you mention it," Threepio began, "there was this tough looking man that visited a few times last week," he spoke with the usual mechanical bounce to his tone. Anakin's faced morphed into a confused frown. "They disappeared to the bedroom for quite some time." The Jedi's brows shot up. "It was rather noi-" 

Without hesitation, Anakin slapped a hand over C3PO's speaker. "That's enough of that," he said gruffly. Padmé had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from laughing. Turning her head back to the chopping board, she tried to smother a grin. The force rumbled around Anakin like the choppy waves of an ocean preparing for storm. 

"Well alright," Threepio's voice was muffled through Anakin's hand. "I should get back to my duties then," the droid chirped, his voice suddenly gaining a lot more clarity halfway through the sentence. The only affirmation he got was a short grunt. C3PO whirred as he manoeuvred himself back through to another room. The floor creaked as Anakin stepped towards her.

"What can I help you with?" Padmé asked, turning her head up to look at him.

Anakin leaned against the countertop beside her. The muscles in his jaw were stiff and his brows hooded his eyes. "I came to ask you how you’ve been since Palpatine escaped," he spoke softly, a slight rasp crackled with every word. Padmé pulled another vegetable from her pile and began to masterfully chop it up. It was only a matter of time before he visited to make sure she wouldn't do anything stupid, and she'd been expecting it, but she hadn't had enough time to prepare herself for this conversation. All the time in the galaxy would have done her no good. 

"All things considered, I think I'm fairing quite well," Padmé commented, keeping her features stony and straight. Anakin's mind fizzed with disbelief and she could practically picture the small line that would have formed between his eyebrows. Lifting the chopping board, she pushed the sliced veg into the pot with a rapid series of plops. A few beads of liquid flew upwards and peppered her hands. The burning pain sizzled away within moments.

"Padmé," Anakin's voice gently pleaded with her. Placing the knife and the cutting board down, she let out a weary sigh and turned her body towards him. "Obi-wan and I are the ones hunting him down. Please, just trust us." 

Leaning her hip on the countertop, she stared up into his soft gaze. "I do trust you," she answered honestly, but they would never be able to find him. Not if he didn't want them to. A lock of wavy hair fell in front of Anakin's forehead. Padmé's eyes locked onto it. It goaded her. More than anything she wanted to tuck it back into position. A smile curved the edges of his lips and satisfaction bloomed within his force presence.

"Good, then I don't need to worry about you breaking parole," Anakin's voice hid a laugh. Irritation buzzed within her mind. No mater how hard she tried to hold his stare, her eyes kept flicking up to that one rebellious piece of hair. In times gone by she would have just reached up and fixed it, but now she was forced apply restraint.

"No need. You can focus on Palpatine," she replied curtly, focusing all her attention on maintaining self control. Anakin shot her a wry grin and after a few moments of allowing her to suffer in silence, he lifted his hand and raked the strands of hair back into position. Padmé blew out a breath of relief she hadn't known she was holding. Thank goodness the Jedi believed in mercy.

"We'll have him caught before you know it," he hummed, pushing himself upright. Padmé realised with a start that this might have been the only conversation they had over the past several years that wasn't interrupted by or based around the twins. Even though she missed them dearly, it was quite refreshing.

Together, they walked towards the door. "I'm sure he will meet his karma," she hummed, wrapping an arm around herself. 

Anakin opened the door, but turned to look at her one last time. "I will make sure he does," the sudden aggression in his voice startled her slightly, but Padmé should have been expecting it. They had both been betrayed by Palpatine. It left behind scars that might not ever fade. Trading polite goodbyes, they parted ways for the night. 

*

The next morning, Anakin found himself sitting in one of the many meditation rooms of the Jedi temple. With his legs folded beneath him on a plush chair, he drew in deep, steady breaths. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ease the tension in his chest. A musky scent drifted around him. The door let out a mechanical purr as it slid into the wall. A familiar presence entered and the door hissed shut behind him.

Anakin peeled open an eye to take in the murky darkness around him. Obi-wan shuffled over and carefully lowered himself into the chair opposite. "How did the interrogations go?" Anakin asked, fully opening both eyes and turning to face his former master. The room was tiny, only marginally larger than a refresher. What little room they had was already filled with seats of all kinds of sizes and shaped. The blinds were drawn tight over the window, only letting in a sliver of light.

Obi-wan let out a chesty grumble as he lifted a hand to stroke his beard. "Not well I'm afraid. I could sense that all of our contacts either knew nothing or where too scared to give us any information," he responded glumly. Anakin clenched his jaw and pulled his legs out from underneath him. "How was Padmé?" Obi-wan asked gently.

"You know how she is," Anakin answered with a sigh. "It's difficult to sense what she is feeling at the best of times, but the moment she doesn't want you to it becomes kriffing impossible," he grumbled, leaning back into his seat. Obi-Wan dipped his head in agreement. "Although, I could tell she was hiding something from me," he added, pressing his lips into a thin line. The memory of 3PO's little story sent a shock of anger coursing through him. With little success, he tried in vein to smother it down. 

"Do you think she will try something?" Obi-Wan leaned forwards, placing his elbows on his knees.

"Probably," Anakin pinched the bridge of his nose. Nobody else he had met shared the same level of stubbornness as she did. It hadn't taken him long to realise that after she set her mind on something, all he could do was buckle down for the ride. "It won't be difficult to find her because of the mandatory probational tracker she is chipped with," he explained. "Unless she finds a way to remove it."

"That is a worrisome thought," Obi-wan pursed his lips. They had enough to deal with as it was. If she was to go rogue, it would only add to their slowly increasing stack of problems. "Perhaps she will decide to remain put, to protect the children?" he offered with a wince. Anakin sent him a dry glare. 

A red light began to beep and buzz on his gauntlet. Lifting it in front of his eyes, he let out a deep groan. "Would you look at that, she's broken parole," he announced in a monotone voice. Obi-wan simply gave him a sympathetic smile. They could both tell the next few days were not going to be easy.


	4. Can’t Think Of Anything

Padmé tried to ignore the pungent alcoholic odour that burned her nose. Weaving through a mess of swaying, sweaty bodies, she locked eyes on the long, green head tails of a tall twi-leki man that had pressed himself into a small booth in the corner of the room. A rambunctious chatter nearly drowned out the blaring noise of the cantina band. Yellowed lights shone down from above. With ever step, the sticky floor ripped away from her feet.

When Padmé drew close to him, she smoothed out the wrinkles of her skin-tight catsuit by running a hand along the curve of her hip. This caught the man's attention. The grip on his cup tightened. Sauntering closer, she gave him a cocky smirk. "Hey sugar, you look like you need some cheering up," a thick accent rolled off her tongue. Planting a hand down on the table she bent down towards him. Thick curls fell about her shoulders.

The man bit down on his lip. "I definitely do," he purred. With a fake giggle that burned her very soul to produce, she slipped into the booth opposite him. Resting her chest on the table she placed her head into her hand. They spoke for a short while, pathetically flirting with one another. Padmé made sure to occasionally bat her eyelids or bashfully toy with her lips. Soon enough, he was hot putty in her hands. The success of her operation was drowning out the revulsion she felt from her own actions

Only when a intensely strong presence within the force burst out of hyperspace directly above the city, did her mood begun to plummet. Turning her head up towards the ceiling, she felt Anakin's attention shift to her. A small amount of panic rose within her. Padmé had assumed he wouldn't have arrived on Nemo until the next morning at least. Even from so far away, she could feel his mind stormily reprimanding her. "You all right, sweet cheeks?" The man hummed in a deep voice, placing a hand over hers.

Padmé turned back to him and shot him a mischievous smile. Curling a strand of her hair around her finger, she leaned forwards and ran her eyes up and down him. "I'm sorry Tro-Efren, I was just thinking we should take this to the back ally," she chuckled. Toying with the thick zipper at the neck of her catsuit, she tugged it down slightly. Tanned skin poked out from underneath the tight, black leather.

"I like that idea," he replied smoothly, his eyes narrowed on the zipper she was fiddling with.

It wasn't much longer until they found themselves in the deserted back alley behind the Wooden Droid, although Padmé would assume it wasn't quite in the position Tro-Efren had imagined them in. The Twi-Leki man writhed and yelled curses from the hard wall she was using force to pin him against. Cold rain splattered against her skin. The narrow alleyway reeked of urine and decay. Garbage was scattered all across the floor. Tall buildings towered high above them. Speeders whizzed by, occasionally blowing up large clouds of vapour. The inky pitch black of nightfall smothered them. Only diffracted light from the highway the alley led into allowed her minimal vision. It didn't matter anyway. The force buzzed around her. Thousands of people were packed into the city. All their emotions raged wildly out of control.

"Where did you take Palpatine?" she barked, an outstretched hand channeled the force with expert brutality. Wet hair clung to the sides of her face. The damp fabric of her suit clung tightly to her skin.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about," Tro-Efren stammered, grasping at his throat with talon tipped fingers. The bounty hunter's boots squeaked as they scraped against the wall behind him. His eyes bulged from his skull. Padmé clenched her jaw tightly. Two light presences were barrelling through the city towards her. Reaching out with her free hand, she directed the force around his thrumming heart. When she curled her fingers in towards her palm, Tro-Efren let out cry. His back arched out from the wall and legs kicked frantically beneath him. Cold beads of water tracked down her skin, warming as they went. The light was drawing so close, she could practically hear its source's thoughts.

"Where is he?" Padmé's roared, releasing her grip on her heart. "If I have to ask again, you will die."

The bounty hunter's mouth opened, but no words fell out. With a growl of annoyance, she began to tighten her grip around his heart once again. "Naboo!" Tro-Efren shouted suddenly. 

There were two heavy splashes further down the alley. Before Padmé even looked towards them, she used the force to draw the bounty hunter into her grasps. Wrapping an arm tightly around his throat, she held his back against her chest. Swivelling on her feet, she saw Anakin and Obi-Wan staring at her with narrowed eyes. Their lightsabers were drawn and pointed at her. "Padmé, don't," Anakin's voice was rough. Stepping forwards, he reached out a hand as though he were pacifying a scared animal. The bounty hunter struggled in her grasps, making her tighten her hold on his neck.

"Which dock was it?" she spoke directly into Tro-Efren's ear. Sinking to one knee, she dragged him to the puddled floor. A severe scowl cracked Kenobi's face. The blue of his sabre created deep, dark shadows on the hollows of his cheeks. Padmé lifted a hand in front of Tro-Efren's eyes. Twitching her fingers in slightly, the bounty hunter shifted as she toyed with his heart. "I wonder if they will be able to reach you before I pop your heart like a grape," she sang aggressively. "Even if you manage to find medical help in time, you're going to be living off a machine for the rest of your miserable little life. How could you ever take up a bounty again?" Padmé caught Anakin's eyes. They were slightly widened, his upper lip curled in disgust. The dark-side pulsing through her mind squealed in delight. 

"I don't know the name," the twi'leki spoke with a rush. All his words mushed together. "It was a small one south of the capital. Completely rural." Padmé drew in a sharp breath. Fighting against the powerful urge to kill him, she withdrew her grip on his heart. "Run," she whispered into his ear, releasing him from her hold. Tro-Efren was gone like a shot. In mere seconds he had pushed past the Jedi and tore down the alley towards the city like a speeder with dysfunctional turbo boosters.

Rising to her feet slowly, she pulled a few stringy clump of wet hair away from her face. Anakin and Obi-Wan edged towards her, their blades still sizzling in the rain. Padmé placed a hand on her hip. "You two arrived earlier than I expected," she commented, cocking her head to the side. Although the darkside still whispered in her ear, it was fast retreating from her mind.

Anakin's eyes flicked up and down her body, pulled his face into a sour frown and sheathed his lightsaber. "The Jedi are always trained to be suckers for punctuality," Obi-wan spoke lowly, returning his own weapon to his belt. In truth, she knew she was no match for Palpatine on her own. If she was, then she would have done a much better job of concealing her tracks. Tugging her zipper upwards, she sealed the top of her catsuit.

"Padmé-" Anakin began, his voice sounded weary and tired. It sprung a leak of guilt within her mind.

"I'll return to Couresant if you really want me to," she raised her hands in surrender. "But the only chance you have of catching Palpatine is with my help." The two Jedi turned to look at each other. Their force presences briefly intertwined. 

Anakin's dark eyes glowered at her through the misty rain. "I think we have a pretty good chance," he snapped, folding his arms into his robes. A flicker of rebellious pride reared it's ugly head within him.

Padmé pressed her lips into a thin line. "Do you have any leads on his location?" she raised her brows. Anakin's mouth fell open, but he clamped it shut. "The lovely man I was just speaking to there was the bounty hunter that broke Palpatine out of prison and transported him off Couresant."

Anakin's head drew back slightly before he peered over his shoulder in the direction Tro-Efren had vanished. "I suppose she does have a point," Obi-Wan spoke in an apologetic tone. Anakin's head snapped back around to glare at his former master. "Nobody knows Sidious quite like she does."

"No. Absolutely not," he shook his head vehemently. "I think he has caused her enough damage as it is."

Padmé narrowed her eyes, biting down on the defensive curses that sprung to mind. "I will help you find him, then leave you to do the dirty work. How about that?" her voice held a cutting edge. Anakin's eyes defiantly bore into her own, but she could feel him shifting his opinion. "The sooner Palpatine is stopped, the sooner the children are safe," she took a step towards him, her voice still flinty.

"If you do run away again, I suppose we will still be able to find you anyway," he sighed, lifting a hand to run it through his hair.

Padmé slipped her fingers into a small pocket on the side of her leg and tugged out a tiny metal chip. Brandishing it in front of him, she put on a sheepish smile. "With this old thing?" she asked sweetly. Of course she knew it would have been better to completely bend the knee, but she simply couldn't resist the temptation of returning the irritation he gave her.

Anakin stared at the chip blankly before closing his eyes over and shaking his head. Obi-Wan leaned forwards, pulling his brows together. "When did you-" he started, freezing mid sentence.

"The day after it was put in," she shrugged. Regret pooled at the back of her mind, she probably shouldn't have admitted to that. There was no doubt they would stick her with something a lot more difficult to remove when they got back to Couresant. That was if they didn't just throw her back into prison.

"Let's just get off this planet," Anakin huffed and pointed a gloved finger towards her, "no more torture."

*

Padmé could feel hot, itchy dampness from the rain still lingering on her skin. The ship rocked gently around her. It's warmth heated her slowly. The hyperdrive sent deep, vibrating hums throughout the whole vehicle. Her eyes were closed over and her head was propped up by the headrest. Anakin and Obi-wan were sitting close by. Their light completely enveloped her in their serenity. Well, nearly serenity. From the peaceful way his consciousness ebbed and flowed, she could tell Obi-Wan had succumbed to slumber. Anakin, on the other hand, had something buzzing around in his mind like an angry sun hornet. Every time she found herself drifting off, his irritation would tug her attention.

Peeling open her eyes, she had to blink a few times before they adjusted. The cockpit was dimly lit. The blue hyperspace streaks shot past the viewport. Anakin was siting in the pilot seat, in front of a large curving console of colourful blinking lights. Obi-wan was slumped over in the co-pilot seat. Padmé was further away, in one of the passenger seats that lined the back wall. "Are you alright?" She whispered, lifting her head.

Anakin peered over his shoulder towards her. "I'm just worried about the twins," he murmured back. Padmé could sense truth within his statement, but it wasn't the whole story. There was something else on his mind. It was not like him to conceal how he felt at all, he was always too honest if anything. Then again, they had grown apart in the last few years. For all she knew, she could be speaking to a completely different person than the young padawan that stole her heart. "The temple is on maximum security and there will be people watching them at all times. Even Yoda offered to stay on Couresant to help keep the temple safe. So I don't know why I'm concerned," he admitted, returning his attention to the viewport.

"You're a parent," Padmé responded softly. "You'll never not worry, especially in situations like this." Folding her arms over her chest, she ran her hands across her upper arm. "I think it's perfectly reasonable to be concerned with the amount of threat that they are under."

"I just don't want it to let those feeling overrun me. I could make a fatal mistake," his voice dropped until it was hardly audible for her. That shocked her a little. Anakin had always led with emotion, if their fight on Mustafar was anything to attest to. As she had suspected, he had changed enough to recognise his downfalls of the past.

"Then focus on calming your mind. I think it will be a few days before we catch up with Palpatine, so you should try to settle yourself before then," she shifted her position, clasping her hands over her stomach. Although she wanted to stay as far away from him as possible, she was longing to see the Sith brought to justice.

"You're right," he sighed. Some of the irritation seemed to have been lifted, but it was still rattling away like a shaky instrument.

"Anakin, what's really bothering you?" she asked. Although she sensed no surprise within him, there was an intense hesitancy to reply. They had once been able to speak so freely and were now reverted to this. That was the price she had to pay for lying to him for so long, she supposed. How could he ever trust her again if he had no idea how to decipher between what the truth was, and what wasn’t.

"That look in your eyes," he spoke at last. Padmé's brows pulled down. "When you were trying to get out information from the bounty hunter, you looked completely deranged. Like a predator toying with its prey." Unsure of how to respond, she remained silent. The darkside was a powerful weapon, but very toxic. Over the years she had grown used to its nasty effects, but he had only seen her give into it a few times and not in the past few years. “It looked completely unnatural on you," his voice wavered. 

"Perhaps it was unnatural for Senator Amidala, but you know better than most we are not one in the same," she responded in a tentative tone. Padmé wasn't an idiot, she knew Anakin was still very confused as to who she really was. After years of pretending to be someone else, she found that even she didn't know. Whenever they spoke, she could feel him searching for something, someone familiar. Out of everyone she knew, he might be the only one who ever met the real Padmé. Even if he couldn't see that.

"No," he shook his head and turned to look at her. "You aren't the same person, but you share her gentle kindness. No heart as warm as yours would ever suit the twisted appearance of the darkside," his voice crackled. Their eyes locked for a moment. Padmé was dumbstruck by his words. Kind was not how she would describe herself. Not in one thousand years. Anakin was still holding on to the woman he used to love, it would seem. "You force yourself to do such horrible things, and I don't understand why."

"Tro-Efren is scum," she told him, leaning forwards in her seat. 

"That doesn't make it right to hurt him like you did," Anakin responded, his dark eyes were soft in the poor lighting. 

"We needed the information," she argued back quietly. Anyone who would release such a monster on the earth was surely just as bad as the monster itself. Obi-Wan stirred in his sleep. They watched him silently until he settled down once more.

"Believe me Padmé, I would have wanted to do much the same but there were other ways to draw it out," Anakin turned back to the control panel and ran a thumb along its edge. "If you want to break free from Sidious, you shouldn't follow his teachings."

Padmé leaned back into her seat. Was using the darkside keeping her chained to her old master? Pulling a hand down her face, the very thought made her queasy. Instead of replying to him, she let out a rumbling hum. The idea dominated her attention. Perhaps she should be trying to find other ways to utilise the force, but the darkside was all she knew. There was no way she could learn the lightside quick enough to track down Sidious. For now, she would just have to be content relying on the dark. Maybe after this was all over she could look into it.


	5. Home Sweet Nope

The unforgiving Nabian sun beat down on her back. The sapphire sky glittered above the lush, green landscape. Infront of her stood a tall building she had only seen in her nightmares for over a decade. Thick vines crawled over the sharp masonry. The empty windows gleamed. A large wooden porch wrapped around the front of the house. The first time Padmé had seen it, she thought it was a castle that river pixies and gungan spring fairies would dance through in their free time. A huge forest circled the grounds. Its trees towered higher than the house's own spires. The distant noise of chirping birds floated across the open landscape. "Palpatine really does have a flare for the dramatic," Obi-wan commented behind her. Padmé chuffed a response.

Drawing in a deep breath, she trekked up the wooden steps. The floor groaned beneath her. Anakin and Obi-wan followed closely behind. A gentle breeze blew by, softly caressing her face. Two large, arching doors towered over her. Their carved, glossy surface had collected a small amount of scrapes and dents. That saddened her a little. Perhaps the one thing she had enjoyed about living in this house was the beauty. Placing a hand on the smooth wood, she pressed her weight against it. The door didn't budge. Anakin moved to draw his lightsaber, but Padmé had already called upon the strength of the force. The doors blew inwards. A loud boom echoed through the entire house. The doors rattled on their hinges. "Great, now he knows we are here!" Anakin exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air.

Padmé looked over her shoulder at him with a blank expression. "If I was this close to Sidious, I would feel it," she retorted dryly. Anakin pressed his lips together and shifted his eyes to the inside of the house. "The best place to start looking for him, is here," she tutted, striding into the grand, marble foya. Two staircases curled out from the centre of the room to rejoin together on a dark landing high above. Goosebumps prickled her skin. The musky scent of mould was suffocating. The normally sparkling floor was covered in a fine layer of yellowed leaves and spindly sticks. The odd set of muddy animal tracks were splattered around. Every step they took bounced off the walls and ricocheted up the curving steps. Huge slitted windows lined the upper portion of the room, allowing slim streams of dust speckled light to puddle in. If Padmé stared at them long enough, she could practically see a little green monkey bouncing up and down in the frame and hear it’s excited shrieks.

Scanning the room, she stared into the dark hallways beyond. Inaudible screams permeated through the depths of the house. "This place feels like a graveyard," Obi-wan cautiously advanced towards the winding staircase and tentatively placed a hand on its polished bannister. 

"That's because it is," she responded with a quiet voice. Obi-wan's eyes flicked to the floor, his shoulders dropped down as though he was carrying the very weight of the house on his back. A moment of unbearable silence choked her. "I think we should split up. The house is big and a clue to Sidious's whereabouts could be anywhere," she offered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'll head up the stairs. You two should search down here together," he stated, beginning to clamber up the sturdy stairs. 

Padmé didn't wait to watch him leave, she delved into the dark corridors beyond the stairs. Anakin's heavy footsteps trudged behind her. Within him, she could sense an uneasy wariness. It was as though his mind was restless, but still intently focused on her. Of course she expected the Jedi to be worried about her cracking after that displaying during her court case, but it didn't bother her any less. It was like they were just waiting for her to break down. Padmé wasn't a problematic toddler, they didn't need to watch her every move. Despite the way it annoyed her, she didn't suggest they search different parts of the house. Although she would never admit to it, Anakin's warmth did made facing her past a little less daunting.

The first room they found was a small living room. The couches were angled in towards an impressively large glass table. Huge bay windows allowed golden light to stream in and illuminate the blue carpet. Some of the sofas had large gouge marks on the side, their stuffing trailed out across the floor. It took a moment for her to recognise the room. Before her very eyes the carpet became soaked in dark scarlet liquid. The bitter scent of metallic blood flooded her nose. Baby monkey screams rattled around in her brain. Dead, glassy eyes peered into her soul. 

Padmé blinked hard, and the room shifted back to its nature-beaten state. Anakin placed a warm hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Who's Orion?" he murmured softly. 

Lifting a hand to her mouth, she focused on the weight pressing down on her shoulder. Padmé hadn't heard herself say the name, but there was no other way he could have known it. "An old friend," she responded, slipping out of his grasp and heading towards a small stack of bookshelves in the corner of the room.

They continued to search the lower portion of the house. All the drawers they found were rifled through and every nook of every cranny was closely inspected. It seemed that a bad memory she had stuffed to the back of her consciousness erupted at ever turn. Some stole her breath, others were just fleeting glimpses. Through out them all, Anakin would reach out with his mind and envelope her with his light. Although she could fight away the memories on her own, his presence was much appreciated. It smoothed out the frayed edges of her mind and allowed her stay thorough in her search.

After finding nothing, they returned the the marble foya. Anakin's impatience was vibrating the force around him. They waited at the base of the arching steps as Obi-Wan trotted down towards them. "Did you find anything?" he asked, his voice shaking with movement.

"Not a trace," Anakin grumbled back, his arms crossed over his chest. 

"Then it a good thing I did," Obi-Wan spoke with a light-hearted bounce. Coming to a stop in front on them, he lifted a yellowed piece of paper into the air. Passing it to Anakin, the Jedi peered at it closely. "It's a notice from an engineer in the capital and it mentions an underground bunker that was in construction six years ago. Palpatine must have been keen to keep it a secret because they wrote in real pen and paper."

Anakin pulled the paper closer to his face. "I don't recognise this language," he spoke gruffly and passed it to Padmé.

Padmé scanned the letter. It was crumpled and the edges curled. The ink had begun to bleed and spider across the surface. It took a second of skimming to find what Anakin was talking about. Although the majority of the writing was in galactic basic, there was a small aside written in cryptic text. "That's because it's the language of the ancient sith," she informed him. "It just specifies delivery arrangements for Loopround Wood."

"Loopround Wood?" Obi-Wan scrunched his face up. "Where is that?.

Padmé lifted her head to face them. With an apologetic smile, she pointed back out through the open doors to the overgrown forest beyond. Anakin's brows shot up, "it's huge. It'll take us days to search it," he objected.

Padmé shook her head. "At the heart is a large lake. That should cut out a lot of search time." Anakin and Obi-wan traded pained looks. It would still take a lot of time and work to track down a secret layer that may or may not actually contain the Sith they were looking for.

"I suppose if I were a Sith that just escaped from my death, I too would want to hide in a little cabin in the woods," Obi-Wan placed his hands on his hips. That much, Padmé could attest to.

"We'd better start now then," Anakin let out a hearty sigh.


	6. The Betrayed

Padmé was finding it very difficult to maintain her concentration. The forest was bustling with life. The force hummed delightedly from the smallest shoots of grass to the large land predators that stalked between the towering trees. Bright flowers and birds caught her eyes wherever she looked. Strips of sapphire sky poked through the emerald canopy. The sweet scent of bark covered the forest like a rich perfume. Choruses of bird song echoed across the landscape.

Occasionally, they saw a few troops of Swamp Monkeys. Even though they were quick to flee, it rattled her every time. When she first saw one, she had been dragged so quickly into her memory that she had staggered forwards and completely lost her balance. Although she didn't recognise much of the forest, the bits she did always tugged at the past. When they caught a glimpse of the glittering lake through the tree line, her heart raced for the next hour. That lake had been a favourite training spot of Palpatine's. It was where her very first lesson took place.

Anakin and Obi-Wan seemed a lot less enthused by the wildlife. As she should have been, they were constantly keeping their eyes trained for any signs of constructed signs of civilisation. They would sometimes remark on odd creatures they saw, but for most of the day they were completely silent. 

The only event of note was when Padmé caught sight of a swamp monkey high up in the trees. Unlike the others of its species, it didn't automatically flee upon seeing them. Instead, it continued in vein to reach out and grab a plump fruit that was dripping from the branch above it. A flash of white made her halt in her tracks. Anakin and Obi-wan, who had been walking ahead, turned back to look at her with cautious eyes. The monkey must have noticed the sudden attention because it drilled and tilted its head down towards them. Across the bridge of its nose was a large, white patch. Padmé's mouth fell open. "Is everything alright?" Obi-san asked, stepping towards her.

"Greenie?" Padmé's called the monkeys name. The primate jolted, it's head dipped further down to observe her. For a moment, they held each others' stares. A flicker of recognition rose within her. The monkey swung down a few branches and spiralled around a huge tree trunk. It manoeuvred itself until it was hanging from a branch directly above Padmé by the tip of its tail. Up close, the brown flecks in her golden eyes were visible. For a moment, Padmé was staring into the eyes of an infant monkey as it curled up into her arms. "I thought you were dead," she whispered so softly she wasn't even sure she had spoken.

The Jedi seemed to be intrigued enough to remain quiet, but unease was beginning to build within them. The monkey let out a high pitched squeak and tilted its head to one side. A burst of betrayal bled from her tiny heart. Greenie flipped her upper lip to reveal yellowed, pointy teeth. It hurt, but Padmé knew she deserved it. Anakin's mind flashed out a warning. Turning her eyes away from her old friend, she looked up at the fruit tthe primate had been trying to get. Lifting a hand, she plucked it from the tree and slowly floated it down to her palm. Greenie shrieked, pulling herself back up onto the branch. Pulling the fruit from the air, she cautiously offered it to the monkey. In a split second Greenie grabbed it and bounced off into the trees. Despite the sadness that lay like a wet blanket over her soul, Padmé felt a smile curve her lips.

"What was that?" Anakin asked, his eyes were wide and his disbelief very evident. 

Padmé wrapped her arms around her body and stared off in the direction Greenie had disappeared. "That was an old friend," she replied numbly, the smile widening a fraction. Turning back to the Jedi, she couldn't help but be amused by their bewildered stares.

"It didn't seem very friendly to me," Obi-wan commented, stroking his beard.

Padmé felt an unwanted memory bubbling to the surface. The smile on her face wavered. Greenies lifeless body slipped from her tiny hands into the murky depths below. Quickly, she was able to use the force to ram the memory down into the deepest, darkest cage in her mind. Blinking away a haze, she shrugged her shoulders. "Times change, I guess," she hummed, before continuing their trek through the forest. The Jedi were bubbling with curiosity, but they didn't press any further.

As the blue sky warmed to an orange colour, Padmé began sensing two lifeforms following them from high above. It brought a tickle of delight to her heart. There was no doubt the jittery, stubborn personality tailing them was Greenie. Throughout the evening, the monkeys edged closer and closer until something spooked them and they darted off into the trees. This cycle continually repeated, and each time they came a little closer than before. They followed until darkness drank the light of day and the humans had settled down for the night.

Padmé watched the flames dancing in front of her eyes. They swirled and twirled around one another like ribbons blowing in the wind. The heat lay gentle kisses on her skin and the vibrant orange glow fended off the inky blackness surrounding them. Tall, dark shadows rose from the ground all around her and the canopy above made jagged silhouettes web across the sky. The occasional bright light from a star could twinkle through and catch her eyes. 

Anakin and Obi-Wan were sitting on the other side of the open flames, speaking about the Jedi temple. The voices of both men rumbled across the small camp. Their image shifted like a water mirage in the hottest of deserts. Padmé's knees were pulled close to her chest. Her chin rested on top of her boney kneecaps and both arms were wrapped tightly around her legs. The leaves whispered when a gentle breeze blew through them. 

Something shifting in the trees behind her caught her attention. Jerking her head to the side and peering into the darkness, she strained to make anything out. A wary creature was edging closer to them. It's curiosity was pouring out of its very pores. Anakin and Obi-Wan fell silent, their eyes followed her gaze. A little green monkey stepped into the light. It’s most defining feature was the white patch on the bridge of her nose. "It's that monkey again," Obi-Wan's voice had a pitch of disbelief.

"You shouldn't have given it food," Anakin chastised her. "Now it will keep coming back." 

Padmè turned towards him and rolled her eyes. Contented after hearing him scoff, she scooted herself around until she was facing Greenie. The monkey crept on all fours towards her. The body was low to the ground and tail curled up high. Pulling her legs into a basket, Padmé rested her palms on her legs. Greenie stopped just in front of Padmé and sat back onto her haunches. Golden eyes twinkled orange in the firelight. She let out a meagre squeak. Lifting a hand, Padmé offered it up. Hesitantly, the monkey reached out and grasped at her fingers. The grip was gentle, but there was tension lacing her tiny hands. 

Greenie dropped Padmé's fingers and cautiously clambered up onto her lap. The strange pressure of tiny feet on her legs brought a rush of comfort from the past. Placing her hands on Padmé's shoulders, the monkey lifted itself to by eye level with her. A rough, worn hand was placed on the curve of her cheek. "It's okay Greenie," Padmé's voice was much higher pitched than normal. It had even gained the airiness of a toddler learning to speak. The monkey let out a shriek, her eyes lighting up. Padmé held in a yelp of surprise when Greenie wrapped her thin arms around Padmé's neck and bounced happily on her legs. Screams of joy filled the air. Padmé let out a chuckle and timidly hugged the monkey close. A sweet fruity scent filled her senses, bringing back many memories long forgotten. "I know," Padmé laughed, "I missed you too." 

A shape shifted in the darkness just beyond the light of the flames. Greenie, still clinging to Padmé, turned a shrieked over her shoulder. Another, slightly larger, monkey stepped into the light. A large mane ringed his wide neck. His sleek fur reflected the orange light of the fire. Greenie shot out of Padmé's lap towards him. The male sat back onto his haunches. Stopping to glance back the way, Greenie planted a quick kiss on the side of his head. "Oh, I see," Padmé grinned. "This is the cheeky boy that got you knocked up when I wasn't looking." Behind her, Anakin choked on thin air. One of the things Padmé found out about her childhood friend in later life, was that her species were completely monogamous. Not even after their partner died, would they move on. 

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan hummed behind her. "It's never a good sign when they start talking to animals."

Padmé sent a withering glare over her shoulders. Obi-Wan was watching her with amused eyes. Anakin was staring as though he was watching a Alderaanian juke-serpent eat itself. Greenie bounced over to Padmé's side and poked a head around to look at the two men. "Would you like to meet her?" Padmé cocked an eyebrow. "I promise she is really, really nice." 

"I don't know if that's-" Anakin began.

"When you put it like that, how could we resist?" Obi-Wan sent her a charming smile. Padmé lifted herself to her feet, but Greenie remained rooted to the spot. Shuffling around the fire, she crouched down in front of the two men. Anakin's wide eyes were still focused on the monkeys. Turning to Obi-Wan, who was leaning forwards over his crossed legs, she dipped down and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and shoulders. The Jedi returned her embrace after a moment of shocked stiffness. "Although it's lovely, may I ask what this is for?" Obi-Wan chuckled in her grasps.

Pulling away from Obi-Wan, she turned to a bewildered Anakin. "It's quite simple really," She hummed. Since Anakin was leaning back on his hands, she had to lean over his legs to draw him into a tight hug. "Hugs are for people we trust and kisses are for people we love." Anakin was very stiff in her arms. His chin rested on the back of her shoulder. It took him a moment or two longer than Obi-Wan to loosen off. Curling an arm around her back, he patted it softly. 

Releasing him, she manoeuvred herself to sit cross legged between them. From across the campfire, Greenie watched with curious eyes. Padmé patted her chest, and the monkey came barrelling into her embrace. Once again, she wrapped her arms around Padmé's neck and peered over her shoulders at the two men. Anakin leaned slightly backwards, but Obi-Wan sent her a small wave. 

Greenie shifted over and placed a hesitant hand on Obi-Wan's knee. When the Jedi didn't pull away, she clambered onto his lap and crouched between his legs. "Hello there, little one," Obi-Wan greeted her, a wide smile splitting his face. The primate rose to its feet and hugged his neck. The Jedi's eyes lit up with delight and he caught Padmé's eyes. "I don't think I've been this happy in my life." The male monkey began to creep around the fire, but stopped some distance away from the them. 

Rather reluctantly, Greenie let go of Obi-Wan and turned her sights to Anakin. The Jedi's face crinkled slightly as he turned up his nose. Slowly, the monkey clambered over Padmé and Obi-Wan, only to stand in Anakin's lap. At first she warily eyed him. The Jedi jutted his jaw to one side, pleading eyes falling on Padmé and his whole body went rigid. When she sent him an encouraging smile, he turned back towards Greenie with a deep exhale. She lifted herself to be closer to his face. Her tiny head flicked between Padmé and Anakin. "I suppose you are pretty cute," Anakin grumbled, the tenseness slackened off. Greenie finally enveloped him in a hug. Slowly, he placed a gloved hand on her back. 

Greenie let out a high pitched whine and rested her head on his shoulder. "I think she likes you," Padmé sent him a sheepish smile. The corners of his lips tugged upwards.

"Anakin has always had a way with the ladies," Obi-Wan chided. It prompted a snort from the other Jedi. 

Eventually Greenie let go and clambered up onto Padmé's shoulders. Lifting herself to her feet, Padmé returned to her original spot on the other side of the campfire. The monkey was still in tow. When they were settled back into a seated position, Greenie grasped at Padmé's wrist and held it perpendicular to her body. This earned her a few confused looks. In one swift motion, the primate coiled her tail around Padmé's arm and began to swing back and forwards from it. A girlish giggle erupted from Padmé. "You remembered," she cheered. Anakin and Obi-Wan were watching her closely, but she hardly noticed. For a long while they practiced long forgotten tricks and games. She couldn't help but wish she could freeze the moment in time completely. Goodness knows how long she would have chosen to stay there.


	7. Lady Of The Lake

When Padmé roused from her sleep, the first thing she noticed was the warm weight between her arms. Bird song twittered from the tree tops. The soft grassy ground had grown hard beneath her. The muscles in her body were slightly stiff. Peeling her eyes open, all she could see was a mass of green fur. Lifting her head, a smile tugged at her lips. Greenie had curled herself into a tight ball in Padmé's arms. "Just how close were you two?" Anakin's voice croaked. 

Padmé lifted her head towards him. Brilliant rays of sunshine poured in through gaps in the canopy like torchlight shining through a colander. Anakin was sitting on the opposite side of the blackened scorch mark where a fire used to burn. One arm was propping him up, the other lazily rubbing at his eyes. "I suppose the closest thing I can liken her to is a childhood best friend," Padmé's own voice crackled when she spoke. He grunted in response. Greenie's golden eyes cracked open. The monkey unsteadily dragged herself to her feet and stretched out her body with a wide yawn. Huge, pointed teeth lined her small jaws.

Picking herself up, Padmé pushed herself into a seated position. The dip in the grass where Obi-Wan had lain the night before was empty. The Jedi's presence lingered nearby. It's light was still groggy and slow. It took her a moment of searching to spot the male monkey nestled away in the branches above. Greenie trudged away from Padmé and slowly climbed up the large tree towards him, squeaking a greeting. 

It didn't take long for the Jedi and Padmé to mobilise. Before she knew it, they were back to scouring the woods for any sign of the diabolical Sith Lord. The entire morning was fruitless. Perhaps the only enjoyment she got from their failed mission was Greenie sitting on her shoulders for the entire time. The monkey, that Padmé had dubbed Harry, followed closely behind them in the trees. The only thing of note they saw was the occasional sliver of the lake through a mass of thick tree trunks. She always did her best to avoid thinking about it or veering too close but it couldn't be avoided forever. It was nearing midday when she realised they were straying towards its banks. Sucking in steady breaths, she used the force to fight off any memory that tried to consume her. There was one however, that just kept returning no matter how quickly she reacted to it or how far she shoved it away. If she looked at the lake for too long, baby monkey screams filled her head.

Through the quickly thinning tree line, the lakes expansive surface was becoming more and more evident. Sunlight glittered on its waves. A pebbly shoreline boxed it in. Padmé thought she was doing a good job of keeping her mind stable, until the darkside intervened. A familiar voice cackled in her ear, forcing her to grind to a sharp stop. Anakin and Obi-Wan halted and turned back towards her with expectant expressions. "Have you found something?" Obi-Wan asked.

Greenie shifted of her shoulders. Padmé's brows pulled together, her head giving a gentle shake. Turning her head towards the lake, her eyes narrowed. "I feel..." she trailed off. It was like Palpatine was calling to her from deep within the waters depths. His revolting presence roiled and fizzed, luring her closer. It didn't feel completely real. It was more like peering at somebody's distorted reflection in the water than the actual person. It was hazy and constantly shifting, but unmistakable. "My master," she murmured beneath her breath. The Jedi traded a panicked glance. She began to stalk towards the lake.

Anakin immediately fell into step beside her. "Padmé, we can't feel anything," his voice buzzed with panicked urgency . Greenie leapt from her shoulders into the safety of the trees, but she hardly noticed. The pebbles crunched beneath her feet when she broke free of the tree line and onto the rocky beach beyond. "Padmé!" He spoke a little louder when she didn't respond. 

The intense sunlight bore down on her face. All she could think about was the irresistible urge to follow the darkness. When she reached the waterline, she wasted no time thinking before wading in. Anakin stopped before it. Freezing water swirled around her legs and ankles, but she hardly felt it. There was a strange disconnect from her body. Even though she could feel every sensation, it was like she was watching herself from an outside perspective. Loud voices called her name, but they were distant. Far away. The water sloshed around her hips. Padmé had to haul her legs forwards. With little thought, she lowered herself into the frigid water and began swiftly swimming towards its centre. The breath was sucked from her lungs, causing her to let out a gentle whimper. It didn't stop her. It didn't phase her. Nothing did. Tucking her head down, she kicked her legs and pushed away handfuls of water. It felt like gliding effortlessly through the sky.

Without realising, she made it to the centre of the lake. Treading water, she peered down into the pitch black depths. It beckoned her. Monkey screams bubbled upwards. A tiny body thrashed and flailed beneath the surface. As though it had tugged on her chains, she dove down. Despite the way she dragged herself deeper, it felt strangely as though she was floating. Nothing could be seen in the murky water except the odd chunk of floating wood or plant life. The further she went, the thicker the darkside became. The screams grew louder and louder. Their warbling made her head pound. When her fingers brushed the slimy floor, the noise was deafening. As if acting on their own, her hands seeked out a small and jagged pebble. The moment she plucked it from the rocks, the screaming was silenced.

A shot of panic went crashing through Padmé when she was tugged back into her body. Unbearable pressure was squeezing her temples. The air burned inside her lungs. Twisting around, she planted her feet on the ground and pushed off. The light from the surface twinkled distantly. Kicking furiously, she fought away the blackness that crept into the corners of her vision. Her lungs seized inside her chest. Time seemed to slow to a grinding stop.

Just as she felt her body beginning to slow, she broke through the surface and pulled in a deep breath. Cool air poured into her aching chest. Blinking away the water in her eyes, she began to tread water. Lifting the small pebble up to her face, she did her best to muffle a cry of shock. It was no pebble. Smooth bone reflected the intense sunlight. Tiny fangs poked from an underdeveloped jaw. Empty eye sockets glared up at her.

Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fist around it. A blanket of her hair floated like an ink spill around her shoulders. She scanned the water around her. Not too far away, Anakin and Obi-Wan were standing at the shoreline. Even though their faces were hazed from distance, she could feel their intense gazes. Part of her wanted to swim to the other side of the lake just to avoid the embarrassment of answering their questions. Begrudgingly, she paddled towards them. The water swished with her ever movement. Anakin's mind wasn't as thunderous as she had expected it to be. It felt a lot more like a tightly wound ball of anxiety and concern that wrapped around a bubbling core of fury. Obi-Wan too, felt a lot like a parent watching their child being rushed away on a hovering stretcher by medical droids. A high pitched, swamp-monkey alarm call rang out across the lake.

The water streamed from her body as she rose from its icy surface. "Are you okay?" Anakin asked as she trudged through waist deep water towards him.

"Perfectly fine," she grunted. The skull dug into her palm as she swung her arms around her body to propel herself forwards.

"Why would you do something so reckless!" Anakin threw his hands into the air. Padmé's step faltered as she peered up at him with confused eyes. Although going for a little swim was inconvenient, she would hardly think of it as risky. "There could have been something dangerous in those depths Padmé," he explained, his voice strained with emotion.

"No," she shook her head. "This lake is safe," she argued back. Well, it was safe depending on your company, but that could be said about nearly any location. Finally she reached the pebbly bank. Water ran from her in streams and splattered on the rocks beneath. The cold made her rattle to her bones, but the sun began to diligently warm her from above.

"The monkey doesn't think so," Obi-Wan interject, pointing a hand into the trees. Greenie was bouncing in the branches, letting out shrill screams of fright. It tore her heart in two. 

"It's okay Greenie," Padmé called, silencing her companion. Still, Greenie refused to move any closer than the branches that overhung the beach. Padmé ran her hands over her arms and legs, squeezing out dribbles of water from her clothes. "This lake has a dark past," she explained softly to the Jedi, finally straightening up to look them in the eyes. The way their faces placated told her they understood.

"Why didn't you respond to me?" Anakin asked with a gentle voice, furrowing his brows. "Why did you even go into the water in the first place?"

"I couldn’t really hear you,” she mumbled, eyes dropping to the floor. "I went in because Sidious beckoned me to." It sounded silly coming from her lips, but she didn't feel judgement from the Jedi. Anakin crossed his arms over his chest. Lifting her hand, she displayed the tiny skull on her palm. "This is what he wanted me to find," she explained.

The Jedi eyed it warily. "A skull?" Obi-Wan cocked a brow. "Does that give any indication of where he might be?"

Padmé shook her head. "No, he's just taunting me," she told them. Their shoulders drooped slightly. "But it does mean we are on the right tracks. To feel him the way I did means he must be on Naboo and is probably close by." Padmé knew it wasn't much information, but it was better than nothing.

"Then we should keep going," Anakin spoke with more confidence.


	8. Red

Their search continued long into the afternoon. Padmé's clothes had completely dried out in the intense heat. The trees swayed in a gentle breeze. Although her mind felt like it was being pulled apart by vultures, she was still meticulously searching beneath every bush and in every tree hollow. The lake incident left her slightly numb. Although her memory had been silenced, she could feel it circling around the outskirts of her mind. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath her feet. It shocked her, whenever she moved her head, the weight of Greenie's feet on her shoulders. A long, green tail curled like a scarf around her neck. 

They had hardly traded two words since Padmé found the monkey skull. Occasionally she would catch Anakin's eyes lingering on her when glanced in his direction, or felt Obi-Wan's attention shifting to her only to flick to something else. Their focus on her was distracting, but she refused to acknowledge it. By coming to Naboo, she had known it would be difficult to keep her past suppressed. The Jedis' burning light was reassuring, but their concern was not. It riled her own emotions up. It made her doubt her self control. What if it all got to be too much? What if she cracked? It was humiliating enough when she spaced out, because the Jedi knew exactly what was happening. They knew she was being drawn into the black hole of her childhood and they pitied her. The thought made her queasy. Padmé had done a lot of bad. It seemed like she came out of the womb killing people. Maybe a child didn't deserve the things Palpatine had subjected her to, but it evened out the scale of her punishment and crime. Their pity was unjust. Even if she could have done nothing to prevent it, everything she had gone through was just her atonement.

They were strolling through a particular dark and thick section of the forest. Hardly any light could cut through the canopy to ease the gloom. Tree roots made the ground uneven and bumpy. Grass was splashed sparsely across the packed, dirt floor. Most of the leaf litter was rotten and yellow. Bushes and shrubbery were a rarity. 

It seemed Kenobi had grown tired of the constant silence. Padmé could feel his mind collecting jitters like a bored toddler. "So what age were you when you met Greenie?" Obi-Wan blurted out of the blue, walking by her side. Anakin, who was a little further ahead, lifted his head up to peer back at them. Padmé was slow to respond, having to think back several years through a hazy fog of things she would rather not remember. "I can't picture Sidious allowing you to form a positive attachment," he added in a rush. Padmé's heart squeezed. No, she certainly hadn't been allowed to hold onto Greenie once her Sith training had commenced.

"Greenie was given to me as a baby when I was four," Padmé explained, lifting her hand up toward the monkey. Tiny hands wrapped around her pointer finger, sending warmth shooting through her chest. "Palpatine wasn't fond of our friendship, but I thought she died when I was six anyway," she admitted, hating the way her voice dropped slightly. Obi-Wan's eyes flickered up to the monkey. Padmé tore her eyes away from him and peered angrily at the ground.

"You seemed to have taught her quite a few tricks... just how intelligent is she?" Obi-Wan’s voice bounced with curiosity.

"Very," Padmé answered, returning her eyes to the Jedi. "There were a lot of things she picked up without ever being taught them." Obi-Wan quirked his head to one side. "If we were in the house, I could ask her to find someone and she would run off, locate them, then return and take me there." Obi-Wan's eyes lit up with intrigue. Padmé ran a thumb along the short hair of Greenie's coat. "All I needed to say was, 'where's Palpatine?'," she imitated the high pitched slur of a toddler. 

Greenie shifted, leaning her head down to peer into Padmé's eyes. "You remember," Padmé chuckled, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Where's Palpatine?" she asked again. Much to her surprise, the monkey leapt from her shoulders and onto the dirt below. Racing across the floor, she halted just as her features became distorted by distance, turned around, screamed and waved her arms above her head. Obi-Wan and Padmé traded a wide eyed stare.

Anakin let out a groan, looked over at them with a weary gaze. "Please don't tell me we are following the monkey," he pleaded.

"We most certainly are," Obi-Wan responded, and altered his path towards Greenie. Every time they drew close to her, the monkey would run far enough away to become unfocused and hazy but close enough that she could be easily picked out from her surroundings. Whilst waiting for them she would bounce and shriek impatiently. They followed her diligently for hours through the thick wood. Eventually, when the sun began to dip behind the trees, Greenie stopped in front of a huge, gaping hole in the ground. Rotting tree trunks and lumps of dirt had collapsed in on a wide, metallic hallway. Grass had begun to sprout from the dirt and rough patches of red-orange rust coated the corners of the corridor beneath.

All three of them peered over the ledge into the collapsed ground. "This must be the secret layer that was under construction," Anakin commented, glaring into the darkness. 

"I can't feel much of the darkside within it," Obi-Wan ran a hand down his beard. "Nor any life form, for that matter."

When Padmé reached out, she couldn't sense any lingering traces of Palpatine's void like presence. It felt like any other part of the forest, minus the hum of life. In all truth, had the same force presence as a pile of rocks. "It's still worth a look," Padmé stated. The Jedi nodded mutely in agreement and together they jumped down into the abandoned construction. 

Lighting the way through the pitch black halls, the Jedi held out their humming sabres in front of them. Dampness thickened the air. Occasionally the scampering feet of a tiny creature scuffling over the floor would startle her, but the base was nearly completely devoid of any living. The long, winding hallways crossed and weaved over one another more times than a messy ball of yarn. More than once they became disoriented and lost, or found themselves right back where they started. There were a sparse few rooms in the complex, but most of them had caved in and the rest were completely barren. Throughout the search, Greenie had remained glued to Padmé's shoulders and screamed whenever anything shifted in the dark.

Eventually they found something worth all the effort. It was a fairly small room, deep within the bowls of the base. Missing chunks in the ceiling allowed golden rays to pour in. Rocks and clumps of dirt were scattered across the grounds, making the small floor space even tighter. Long, draping vines hung down from the surface world and tickled the cracked stone ground. On the opposite end on the room was a long, thin desk that had a worn chair tucked into the opposite side. It had chunks of foam ripped out and scattered all over the place. From the entrance where they stood, only the tall back of the black chair could be seen. As they approached it, a loud cackled erupted from the chair. Anakin and Obi-Wan automatically drew their lightsabers and halted just in front of the desk. "It's been quite some time," the unmistakably disfigured voice of Sidious boomed around them.

Padmé's heart began to pound in her chest. Greenie shifted on her shoulders and took tight handfuls of her hair. The chair remained unnaturally still. Every noise she made or breath she took became painfully obvious. "Not long enough," Anakin snapped.

Padmé narrowed her eyes at the chair and began to creep around the desk towards it. Even when she reached out with the force, she couldn’t sense the vortex of darkness that surrounded Palpatine’s presence. "I see you've reunited with the little monkey-rat," Palpatine hissed. That made her step falter slightly and her heart jump into her throat. "and it led you right here," he sneered. Reaching out to the chair, she slowly swivelled it around. The Jedi went tense. Sitting in the seat was a flickering blue holo of the Sith Lord. A large hood was pulled down to his nose and his legs were comfortably crossed over one another.

"Too afraid to face us in person?" Obi-Wan tutted, sheathing his weapon and clipping it to his belt. Anakin followed suit, but a strange tenseness lingered in his posture. "That's cowardly, even for you," he derided the Sith.

Palpatine's face tugged down into an ugly sneer. "I'm too busy making plans for my lovely apprentice's children," he hissed, clasping has hands infront of his chest. Padmé's blood ran cold. Hot prickles of panic tore across her insides.

"You'll never get to them," Anakin lurched forwards and slammed a hand down on the desk. "We'll have your head before they even notice we are gone." Greenie was startled, rocketing off Padmé's shoulder and up some vines to disappear through a hole in the ceiling. Part of Padmé wished she had stayed. Her shoulders felt cold and light.

"No, no," Palpatine leaned forwards. "I predict they will be here on Naboo within a matter of days." Padmé's mind began to frantically torture her with all the awful things he would do if he ever got his hands on Luke and Leia. Taking an unsteady step away from the chair, she kept her eyes focused on Palpatine. Hatred bubbled up within her. It was so pure and intense that it took her complete off guard. Palpatine's ghostly face turned up towards her. "The fate that befell the monkey's babies was truly awful. I would hate to see that happen to yours as well."

Padmé's mouth fell open. Fear from the past began clawing at her attention. No amount of force manipulation could keep it away for long. Rapid trembles shook her body. Anakin let out a fierce growl. "You won't touch them!" he roared.

"What a wonderful temper," Palpatine purred. "You would have made an excellent Sith." Before Anakin could respond, Obi-Wan placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "Padmé, keep your little pet away from the water. That male of hers might not be around to save her this time if you decide to drown her again." 

Padmé couldn't stop the whimper that escaped her lips. It caught Anakin's attention. After shooting a glance in her direction, he flung out a hand towards Palpatine. There was a loud boom and the holoprojector that was displaying the Sith’s image exploded into a large array of tiny pieces. It was too late. The world spun around her. Before her very eyes she watched Greenie writhing with her grasps. The glassy water's surface shifted and bubbled. Screams warbled up into the air. A cackle rang from above her.

When two hands gripped her shoulders, she felt the past's grip on her loosen. Two blue eyes peered into her own. Worry lines creased Anakin's forehead. Padmé was breathing heavily. The ground shifted beneath her feet. Boiling panic burned her from the inside. Clutching onto his arms, she gently lowered herself to sit on the floor. Sinking to the ground beside her, he kept his hands securely wrapped around her shoulders. Heat blushed her eyes and tears began to stream down her cheeks, but she made no effort to hide them.

Water swirled aggressively around her. Her legs kicked furiously to keep herself above the surface. Sharp nails dug into her hands and wrist. Sobs wracked her tiny body. Cold droplets splashed up at her face. 

Once again she was dragged roughly back to the present. From below, a passive, little, green face peered up at her. Greenie let out a series of soft chirps. Instinctively, Padmé pulled the green monkey into a tight hug against her chest. "He wants me to kill you," Padmé's voice shook violently. "I don't want to," she cried. Greenie wrapped her arms around Padmé's neck. For a moment, her wet fur clung to Padmé's skin. Palpatine's gaunt features peered down at her. His nasally voice goaded her onwards. "Please don't make me hurt her."

"Padmé, it's over," Anakin's gently whispered in her ear. "You're not there anymore." Slowly, she began to grip at her bearings. Calling on the force, she used it to pry herself from the past. Without realising it, she had completely curled in on herself. Greenie was clutched closely to her chest. Alive. Safe. Anakin had pulled her between his legs and wrapped his arms right around her. The bone of his jaw pressed down on the top of her head. Obi-Wan was close by, but her mind was too hazy to decipher where exactly.

Despite the tears still tracking down her face, she loosened her tight grip on the monkey. Greenie sprung from her hold, but loitered by her feet and observed with rounded eyes. Anakin's warmth cradled her. His sweet, citrus scent filled her senses. Her heart rate began to drop, but her body still quivered like a plucked string. Guilt tore up her insides. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to focus on an image of Greenie alive and healthy. "Did that kriffing monster make you hurt Greenie?" Although Anakin's voice was quite, it was deadly sharp. Padmé rocked in his grasp, stifling a sob. He held her tighter and gently stroked her shoulder with his thumb. "Don't worry," his voice rumbled through her. "He can't make you hurt anyone else ever again."


	9. Coruscant Awaits

Padmé stared out across the cavernous room before her. Blinding lights shone down from above and reflected harshly against the white floor and polished walls. Several silvery ships were lined up in a militant row across the open floor. Despite being different lengths, shapes and sizes, all of their outer exteriors shined with a mirror-like quality. Padmé placed a hand on a one-man ship's wing. A distorted face peered back up at her. The stench of fuel and machine oil burned in her airways. "Who would have thought such a modern hangar was situated beneath Palpatine’s old, decrepit house," Obi-Wan commented, stroking his beard and staring around the room.

It had taken them a while to walk back to Padmé's old house, but the reward was plenty. It felt strange to not have Greenie perched on her shoulders, but there was no way she could trust that mischievous monkey around all this powerful machinery. "These will have been down here for a while," Anakin leaned against the wing of the craft she was admiring. "Will they even fly?"

"They will," Padmé assured him firmly. "Palpatine was very fastidious about their maintenance." Running a finger over the ship's glossy metal, it pained her to feel a fine layer of dust rub against her skin. All of these vehicles had served her well at some point in her time as Sidious's apprentice.

"I guess I'm about to find out," Obi-Wan grumbled, opening up the ship's cockpit. The glass dome popped up and rose smoothly into the air.

"You are?" Anakin cocked a brow, standing up straight. Padmé lifted her gaze to stare at the bearded Jedi. 

"Well someone needs to return to Coruscant to fortify the twin's safety," he replied, hauling himself into the pilot's seat. "Padmé is needed here to track down Sidious and you are needed to make sure she doesn't do anything rash." He began flicking some brightly coloured switches and pressed hard on the ignition. A small frown line appeared between his brows. "I never though there would come a day when you are the impulse control," he chuckled and the engines revved to life. 

Padmé and Anakin backed away from the ship. The hangar around them groaned as a far wall lifted, revealing a dark passage way beyond. The two Jedi locked eyes. "Thank you," Anakin spoke firmly. Their force presences wrapped around each other like a steadfast hug. A loud beep sounded when the exit had finished tucking away. The rocky tunnel beyond became lit with hundreds of gleaming lights.

"Just don't get yourself killed before I return," Obi-Wan winked and pulled the glassy dome down into place. The ship's engines roared, blowing hot, thick fumes out of its thrusters. Padmé had to brace against the intense power. It steadily lifted from the ground, before shooting off into the tunnels beyond. 

Anakin and Padmé stared after him for a few moments. Stretching his arms above himself, he dropped them to his sides. "I guess it's just us then," he remarked. Padmé peered up towards him, but his stern eyes just peered off in the direction Obi-Wan had vanished. "Any idea where to start?" He asked, turning his head down to meet her gaze.

Padmé nodded, wrapping her arms around her chest. "There is a rural village on the other side of the wood," She explained. "If Palpatine really is around here, then he'll need supplies and that is the only place for miles he could get them."

*

Obi-Wan was glad to be up and moving around. Every muscle in his body was stiff and screaming in relief at the simple act of walking. The journey from Naboo to Coruscant wasn't easy to make in the cramped quarters of a one-man fighter ship, but it was the fastest option. The Jedi temple buzzed around him. Padawans were out practising combat in the gardens and Jedi masters could meditate in peace. 

Nearly every time he walked across the glossy floors and by marble columns, it surprised him how clean the temple was. It was as though order sixty-six never happened. With every corner he turned, he kept expecting to find dead clone troopers or weeping children. By his side, Yoda tottered along. A deep sense of unease rested in his soul. Something didn't feel right. "Where would the Skywalker twins be now?" Obi-Wan asked the little, green man. 

"Their afternoon meditation session, they will be in," Yoda responded. Obi-Wan sped up, turning off into another wide corridor. "The mission to capture Palpatine, what is the progress?" the grand-master asked, keeping up easily with the other Jedi's frantic pace.

"We have reached a standstill, but Mrs Amidala's information has proven to be quite useful," Obi-Wan explained. Without reason his gut was sinking to the floor. Dread pressed hard on his shoulders. Something was off. Something was very, very off. The meditation garden the youngling's used was fast coming into view. Huge, open windows peered into a lush, green courtyard. Trees poked through into the marble hallways, the occasional leaf drifting down to settle on the reflective floor.

"When see her again, you do, give her this, I must ask you to," Yoda used the force to hover up a long, silver lightsaber hilt infront of Obi-Wan's face. 

The Jedi nearly faltered in his step, shock fried his nerves. Grasping it from the air, he clipped it to his belt. "I will make sure it gets into her hands," Obi-Wan promised. Yoda let out a hum of gratitude. When they reached the windows that peered out across the garden, he leant over the edge and nearly toppled himself in. His blood ran cold. There, in the centre of a grove of saplings, several younglings lay on their backs. The master attending to them was also sprawled across the floor. The force still flowed through them, indicating they were alive. After scanning their bodies with wide eyes, his heart froze in his chest. Despite already knowing it, he saw that the twins were not amongst their classmates.   
Obi-Wan threw himself back from the ledge and ran a hand through his hair. "They're gone!" He couldn't ignore the shiver of panic that laced his voice.

"Calm down, you must," Yoda instructed with a soft voice, peering up at Obi-Wan. "Ask the force, and answer it will."

Obi-Wan nodded his head and squeezed his eyes shut. A soothing calmness washed over him like salty ocean breeze in the midst of a scalding summer. The world burst to life around him. There were millions of people buzzing around the city furiously. One black spot caught his attention. It was familiar. The bounty hunter they had caught Padmé torturing. The man that broke Sidious from prison. Tro-Efren. He wasn't too far away from the temple and rapidly speeding towards the southern port. "I've found them," Obi-Wan rushed, turning on his heels and bounding through the temple.

Faces, shapes and colours whooshed past the corners of his vision. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. His heart pounded aggressively inside his ribs. The force whispered around him as he used it to propel himself faster. There was the occasional yelp or gasp when he went crashing through a group of people, but he hardly even noticed it. When he broke into the outside world, he didn't even wait until he was on his speeder to start it. Rushing through air-traffic, he dodged and weaved between heavy flows of speeders. The world dissolved into a haze around him. All he could focus on was the fast moving presence of Tro-Efren. 

When he reached the ship-yard, he all but crashed his speeder into the ground in a mad bid to get off from it. Ship engines roared and bellowed out smog all around him. People were shuffling through the tight spaces between each docking bay. Hissing through his teeth, he put his head down, broke into a sprint and locked on to the bounty hunter. Even when his legs screamed for release, he pushed himself faster. Faster. Faster.

By the time he reached Tro-Efren's docking bay, the slender ship within was already preparing for take off. Without a second thought, Obi-Wan charged towards it with his lightsaber drawn. There was no time for him to recognise the wheeze of the ship's artillery, before a bright flash of light blinded him. Throwing himself to one side, Obi-Wan landed on his back. A loud boom rattled the whole port and sent vibrations pounding through the floor. His ears were ringing. Every inch of him ached, but he pushed himself up into a seated position. White spots danced in front of his eyes. Tro-Efren's ship broke free of the bay and boosted up into the sky. 

Staggering to his feet, Obi-Wan glanced around the port. A large, blackened scorch mark smouldered only a few feet away from him. All of the civilians had stopped what they were doing to peer at Obi-Wan and the mess the bounty hunter left behind. A familiar stench of combusted fuel filled the air. 

There was a small, slender ship in a docking bay nearby. It's ramp was lowered to the floor. A Togruta lady was standing beneath its belly. The woman was staring over at the scorch mark with a mouth hanging ajar. Obi-Wan wasted no time and raced into the Togruta's ship, ignoring her shouts of protest. Within minutes, he was sailing through the upper atmosphere and setting a course for Naboo.


	10. Freak Out

Padmé loved watching the way flames danced. It amazed her how easily they could flicker to life and then dissolved into thin air. Orange embers floated up into the black sky above. Stars twinkled around the steady, bright glow of the moon. The sweet scent of charcoal tinged the air. The burning wood crackled and hissed. Across from her, Anakin's image shifted with the waver of the fire. His own eyes stared deeply into the orange light. 

They had settled down in one of the huge flower fields that divided the forest. If she squinted, she could make out the silvery lining of the treetops against the black skyline. Tall grass rose high around them, blowing gently in the wind. Greenie was curled into a little ball by the open flame. Occasionally she would let out a gentle purr or chirp. The ground was soft and padded beneath her legs. 

All Padmé could think about was the twins. If Palpatine did get to them, or hurt them in any way, she would never forgive herself. All those years ago she should have gutted him like a fish, not just stabbed him. From the anger boiling away inside Anakin, she could tell he felt much the same way. A cold queasiness tightened around her stomach. 

A loud bleep made them both jump. Anakin shifted, pulling out a cylindrical communicator from within his robes. A blue hologram of Obi-Wan sitting in some sort of cockpit burst into existence. Padmé's heart leapt into her mouth. "Obi-Wan," Anakin greeted his former master with a breezy tone, but his nerves were sizzling beneath the surface.

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan's tone was somber. Padmé felt her head spin. Cold shocks of panic prickled on her skin. "Tro-Efren has the twins on his ship."

"You let him take them?" Anakin cried, leaning close to the blue hologram. That fury of his was whipping up a storm around him. Greenie startled awake, springing to her feet.

"I will intercept them when they dock on Naboo," Obi-Wan explained, keeping his voice low and stern. "I promised you I wouldn't let them fall into Sidious's clutches, and they won't." With that, the transmission was abruptly stopped. Padmé didn't blame him for ending the communication because Anakin's face was morphed into an aggressive scowl.

Dropping the device to the floor, he picked himself up off the ground and turned his back to the flames. Pressing his hands against either side of his face, he let out a dangerous hiss. Padmé could only watch him warily. His anger began to thrash out of control, lashing out at everything nearby. The tall grasses whipped aggressively back and forwards. The flames roared to a tremendous height. A wall of hot air slammed into her, making it difficult to breathe. Alarms rang in Padmé's head. At this rate, the plant life around them was going to catch fire. Greenie darted off into the darkness with her tail between her legs. 

Padmé jumped to her feet, dodging an outburst of fire. Edging around the billowing flames, she sliced through his thick smog of rage. Unbearable heat burned at her skin. The moment she could reach him, she grabbed one of his arms and yanked him around to face her. Angry eyes peered down at her. "He's going to hurt them!" He yelled, the fire doubled in size beside her.

"Anakin, you have to calm down!" She shouted over the roaring flames. The words didn't seemed to reach him at all. The grass flipped and whistled through the air. His anger just kept growing. Hissing through her teeth, she shot her hands out and grabbed either side of his face. Before he could react, she pulled him down to her level and pressed his lips against hers. The fire immediately fizzled back to its original size and the grasses stilled. Anakin was rigid beneath her hands. Pulling away from him, she kept his head locked in her grasps. "Obi-Wan is one of the most reliable Jedi we know," she assertively told him. Anakin's eyes were glazed over, his mouth hung slightly ajar. "If anyone can save them, it's him."

Releasing his head, she watched him slowly lift his hands and comb them back through his hair. Blowing out a huff of air, he gingerly nodded his head. "I know..." his voice trailed off. Slumping down to the floor, he pressed his head into his hands. "I trust Obi-Wan." It sounded more like he was reciting a mantra than proclaiming confidence in a friend. Padmé lowered herself to the ground beside him, welcoming the much gentler heat of the flames. "I'm sorry for..." he loosely gestured to the fire, his eyes still focused on the dirt in front of him.

"No, no," Padmé brushed away his comment. "I'm sorry for..." she awkwardly cleared her throat. "I mean, it was... just the easiest way to get your attention."

"It's fine," he blurted. Padmé shifted her weight from side to side. "Well... I didn't mind," Anakin added, lifting his eyes to meet hers. "Although the guy you had over last week might."

Padmé pulled her brows together. It took her a moment to realise he was referring to the little tale C3PO had told him in her kitchen the night he asked her to ignore Palpatine’s escape. A coy grin played across her lips. Leaning towards him, she held his stare. "No, he won't mind at all," she purred. Anakin tilted his head to one side. An unasked question formed in his lips. "The only reason I had him around was because he is good with his hands." Anakin's brows shot upwards. Wrinkles formed on his nose and he curled his upper lip in disgust. "He knows his way around the pipes, if-"

"Stop!" Anakin barked, slapping his hands over his ears.

Padmé let out a hearty laugh. He stared at her as though she was a fish swimming through clouds. "Anakin," she grinned at him. "He is a plumber," she held in another snicker. The Jedi peeled his hands away from the sides of his head but kept them hovering close by. A look of deep confusion crossed his face. "I stayed in the bedroom next to the refresher while he was working because I didn't trust him." 

"Oh," Anakin mumbled, dropping his hands into his lap. Despite the orange lighting, she could see the deep rouge colour that tinged his cheeks. Padmé smiled to herself and drew her knees up to her chest. There was a beat of heavy silence. "Have you... been involved with anyone since you were let out of prison?" he asked quietly, lifting his eyes to meet hers.

Padmé shook her head, resting it on her knees. Even if she had wanted to do something as frivolous as dating, she would never have had the time. The kids dominated her weekend and her mind. Not to mention, the thought of being with another man revolted her. Not that she could ever tell Anakin that. "What about you?" she asked gently. "You have a lot more freedom now that the Jedi allow attachments."

Anakin grimaced and glared at her as though she had mortally wounded him. "No, definitely not," he informed her stonily. A moment of empty silence lingered between them. "It would technically be cheating, since we are still legally married," he poked at the soft dirt beneath him.

Padmé's head shot up. "You didn't file a divorce?" she squeaked. When she was imprisoned, the first thing she thought he would do was legalise their separation.

"I never got around to it," he shrugged, glassy eyes stared into the flames. A shocked numbness buzzed within her as she settled her head back onto her knees once more and wrapped her arms right the way around herself. It explained why she never received any documentation. She had assumed prisoners like her wouldn't have had any say in the matter. Perhaps she was wrong. "Padmé," the gravity of his voice caught her off guard. "If I ask you a question, will you promise to to tell me the truth or just not answer." Padmé carefully regarded him. Anakin's blue eyes were locked onto her own. Humming an affirmative, she felt her shoulders tensing. There was no predicting what he was going to say. "When I confronted you on Mustafar and then found you on Naboo all those years ago, why did you lie?" His voice was steady. Padmé puckered her brows. "Wouldn't it have been much easier for you to escape from and manipulate me if you told me how you really felt?" 

Picking up a stick from the ground, he poked at the bed of fire. The flames grew higher. Padmé realised with a start, that it was most likely a question that had been bugging him for years. At first she wondered why he had never asked, but then remembered all the lies she had ever told him. How would he know if she was telling the truth anyway? Letting out a deep sigh, she considered not answering. To reveal such information would just be flaunting her twisted nature in his face and unlike the past, she didn't want to push him any further away than he already was. As Anakin prodded away at the flames, she realised it would be cruel not to tell him. After seeing her repeatedly twist her way into other peoples minds, it surely wouldn't come as a shock anymore. 

"I was the reason you were leaning towards the darkside," she responded hardly louder than a whisper. The grip he had on the stick tightened. "The only way I could make sure that my master could never use me to tempt you again, was to make you hate me. To make you think that I was just another evil incarnate Sith. The kind your Jedi ways teach about." Anakin lifted his eyes to meet hers. "So I broke your heart." Pressing his lips together, he pinched at the bridge of his nose. The fire crackled and spat.

"Well it didn't work," Anakin informed her, lifting his head. Padmé recoiled away from him, confusion scrunched her features. "I never hated you. Not really," his intense stare bore into her own. "No matter how many times you denied it or how many excuses you made, I always knew you loved me just as much as I did you." Padmé’s jaw went slack. No words would form in her mind. There was no need for her to confirm his statement, he already knew it was true. So, she held her tongue.

*

Obi-Wan could feel his heart beating irregularly in his chest. One of the huge wings on his stolen ship concealed him from the intense morning sun. The port in front of him was tiny. It only had seven docking bays and was little more than a metal platform amidst the arid, grassy plains of Naboo. A few workers milled about the bay, tinkering with droids and polishing floors. The bright sun reflected off of a familiar ship docked on the other side of the bay. It's glossy exterior was unmistakably republican. Just a few days prior, Obi-Wan himself had been on that ship. It was the sturdy vessel that transported them from Nemo to Naboo. 

Delighted bird-song twittered happily through the air. Sitting on the floor, he pulled his legs into a basket and closed his eyes over. Pushing away the angst in his mind, he concentrated on the brilliant hum of the light side. It flowed through him, whispering gentle assurances. Obi-Wan had made it to Naboo in record time. After making the flight several times in the past few days, he had known just the right shortcuts to take. 

It wasn't long he spent meditating, until another ship began to lower itself delicately to the ground. On board, a familiar presence was fizzing away. Picking himself up, Obi-Wan waited until the ship touched down before he stalked towards its landing bay. It was a rusty, boxy ship with short and stubby wings, but it allowed Obi-Wan to duck beneath its underbelly and obscure him nearly completely from any prying eyes. The ship whirred and whined. The ramp hissed and lowered slowly to the ground. His heart began to pound in his chest. Using the ramp as a cover, he crept forwards. Heavy footsteps thundered down it, followed by the pitter patter of small feet. 

With a grunt, he swung out from his hiding space and flipped up onto the ramp. The force coursed through him. Yanking his lightsaber from his belt, it was ignited by the time his feet touched down on the ground. A tall, Twi-Leki man yelped and halted in his tracks as Obi-Wan pointed the blade inches from his neck. "Master Obi-Wan!" To childish voices squealed in delight. 

The Jedi didn't take his eyes away from the bounty hunter, instead he stepped closer. "Tro-Efran, you are under arrest for the abduction of two children," he snapped.


	11. Mintaka

Padmé kept the hood of her cloak pulled down over her eyes. The tiny village around them was buzzing with life. Wooden stalls lined a cobblestone market-square. The display tables were bursting with produce. From meats and vegetables to jewellery and weapons. The sweet scent of a bakery flooded the street from its open doors. People buzzed in and out of shops and grocers. They had to wade through crowds just to get from one one adjacent stall to the other. The noise was unbearably loud. Children squealed and giggled as they chased on another around with sticks.

The hot sun glared down on their backs. Huge trees formed a perimeter around the village. A few homes lay behind the thick wall of trunks. It seemed everyone had been drawn from their residences that early morning to the bustling market square. 

As she pushed through a group of stout, sun-kissed ladies, she noticed a small shop tucked away in the corner of the square. It's door was shaded and not many people were even giving it a second glance. It was one of the only shops they hadn't been into to ask around. So far, they had gleaned no new information from the locals about Sidious’s werabouts. They either knew nothing about who Palpatine was or simply didn't care. 

A hand grasped her wrist suddenly and began tugging her off course. Although it startled her, the force reassured her it was only Anakin. Padmé allowed him to guide her out of the square and into a tiny, shaded back alley. Rough, cracked, white walls were so closed to each other that if she tilted marginally to either side her shoulders would brush them. The hem of his cloak flapped with the pace of his walk, forcing her her to totter along faster. Once they were safely out of sight, he stopped abruptly and turned back around to face her. His features were tight. "Is everything alright?" she asked, furrowing her brows up at him. The din of the market had dimmed to a fuzzy background noise.

Reaching a hand into the folds of his cloak, he pulled out his cylindrical communicator. "Obi-Wan is trying to reach us," he explained. Padmé's heart leapt into her mouth. Blood rushed through her ears. A small hologram of Kenobi burst to life on top of the communicator. He was standing with one hand reached out in front of him holding his communicator and the other stroking at his beard. Although the image flickered and hazed, she could see the smile that curled his lips. Slowly, her heart rate began to settle. "Obi-Wan, are they okay?" Anakin spared no breath for greetings. He lowered the device and held it out steadily between them.

The holographic Jedi looked off to the side and nodded at something they couldn't see. "Yes, I managed to intercept them before Tro-Efren left the docking bay," he happily informed them. Before her very eyes, two tiny Luke and Leia holograms ran onto the transmission. Obi-Wan descended to one knee and reached out a hand to show them his own communicator. 

"Daddy?" Luke squeaked, leaning in close to the transmission.

Leia jutted an elbow into Luke's side. "Its master Skywalker," she scolded him. Padmé felt a smile so wide on her face that her cheeks began to ache. Emotion built behind her eyes. They were safe. Unharmed. Palpatine couldn't get to them. 

"It's alright, Leia," Anakin chuckled. "You only need to use that formality at the temple." If a force presence could beam, his most certainly was. Being so close to his light was like sitting next to a bird as twittered in the early hours of the morning.

"Your father has never really been one for following rules anyway," Obi-Wan retorted dryly. This drew a series of giggles from the twins that blessed her tender heart. Anakin just rolled his eyes. 

"You'll never guess what Master Obi-Wan did," Luke's bright eyes twinkled as he peered up at the Jedi master beside him. Anakin prompted him to continue with a curious hum. "He jumped up and did a flippy-thingy onto the ship's boarding ramp and scared the angry man who took us with his lightsaber!" he gushed.

"It was so cool," Leia giggled, nodding her head furiously. Obi-Wan scratched at the back of his head and chuffed a laugh beneath his breath. 

"Don't go getting any ideas," Padmé warned them in a playful tone. "It'll be a few years yet before you are allowed to use a full powered lightsaber."

The twin's mouths fell open, their eyes shifted across the communicator. "Mummy!" They both yelled in unison. The noise that followed was a mush of unintelligible, excited squeals and exclamations. Obi-Wan flinched at the sudden outburst of noise. 

"Hey, calm down," Padmé laughed. "I didn't understand a word of what you just said."

"You left Coruscant?" Leia cocked her head to the side, two buns rocked on the side of her head. 

"Yes, I had to help your father out with some work," she explained. Amusement bubbled in her voice. Luke and Leia turned to each other with wide eyes. They began muttering aggressively between themselves. Anakin and Padmé flicked confused glances at each other then turned their attention back down to the holo.

"Are you taking them back to Coruscant?" Anakin asked, his tone mellowed out and his features hardened. Even although they were with Obi-Wan, they were still in immense danger of another attack from Palpatine. The thought dimmed the brilliant delight warming her heart.

"Not just yet," Obi-Wan's accented voice regained some of its formality. "I have a package from Yoda I'm supposed to deliver." Padmé couldn't help the way her heart lifted when she realised she might get to see the twins once more. Her head however, deemed it a selfish desire. "I can sense from here that you two want to see them more than they want to see you," Obi-Wan mused, placing a finger on his lips. 

"We might get to see them?" Luke whisper-shouted to Obi-Wan. Both Luke and Leia stared at him with rounded, pleading eyes. Padmé's heart melted. After trading a weary eyed stare, both parents nodded their heads.

"I'll send you the coordinates of the village we are in," Anakin sighed. "If you are walking from the ship-yard you should arrive by nightfall." Padmé bit down on her lip. A full day of walking wouldn't be easy for the children and poor Obi-Wan was going to have to drag them through the Nabian wilds.

"I guess I'll see you then," Obi-Wan commented. Luke and Leia let out a squeal of excitement. They traded their goodbyes and the holo cut out. As Anakin tucked away the communicator, she felt her head droop a little.

"They are always more excited to see you than they are me," Anakin grumbled, readjusting his hood.

"They see you a lot more than they see me," Padmé sent him a sly grin. "I'm more of a novelty." 

They edged out of the alley and back towards the noise of the market. Expertly dodging through collections of people, she very quickly found herself stepping into the small shop she had been heading towards prior to the call. The room beyond was dim. Frosted windows let in dusty streams of light. The thick, overpowering scent of herbs made her head pound. Hanging from the ceiling was all kinds of plants and foliage. The walls were lined with hundreds of jars containing colourful flowers and fragments of animal bone. Huge, woven baskets were lined in orderly rows across the floor. From out the top of one of the baskets, she could make out the balled tip of a long leg bone. On the far side of the room, a short and rounded woman with rich, dark skin and a mane of curly black hair stood behind a rickety wooden counter. She was the only other person in the shop. "How can I help you today?" the woman spoke with a melodic rhythm. 

"We are looking for someone and we were hoping you could provide us with some information," Padmé explained, walking towards the counter. As she passed by a basket containing several large skulls, she had to stop herself from gawking. 

The woman clasped her hands on the desk. "Well I will do my very best to be of service to you," she said. A thick accent rolled off of her tongue. There was something incredibly familiar about the way she spoke. It raised a bubble of warmth within Padmé's heart, but she was very certain they had never met before.

Padmé halted just before the desk and flipped her hood back onto her shoulders. Deep, dark eyes peered at her. "Do you know of Sheev Palpatine?" she asked, cocking a head to the side.

The shopkeeper reared back slightly and tutted. "Do I know Sheev Palpatine," she chuffed. "I wish I didn't."

Padmé traded a sidelong look with Anakin. "If you have seen him recently or know where he is, please tell us," Anakin asked politely, but the note of desperation in his voice could not be concealed.

"If I saw that man anywhere near this village, I woulda chased him out with a broomstick and a pot," she retorted, placing a hand on her hip. Anakin drew back slightly, a frown line formed between his brows. The comment amused Padmé, not just because of the complete ridiculousness of the mental image, but because of the unwavering certainty the woman had that Sidious would have fled.

"Is there anything you could tell us that might lead us to him?" Padmé asked, placing a hand on top of the wooden counter. The woman peered at her for a moment and pursed her lips together.

"My sister used to work for Palpatine," the shopkeeper hummed, leaning down onto her hands. "She tended to his ward. A little girl that would be all grown up now." Padmé's heart froze in her chest. Anakin's eyes shifted to her, his presence gently wrapped around her own. That explained the familiarity, she supposed. "If anyone will know where he is, it will be that poor little honey."

"You are Orion's sister?" Padmé blurted out, lurching forwards.

The shopkeeper went stiff and cautiously eyed them for a moment. "How do you know my sister?" She hummed beneath her breath. Padmé's gut tightened. Of all the stupid things to say, she had probably said the worst. If this woman found out who she really was and what she had done to Orion, then there was no way she would help them find Palpatine.

"I-I don't," Padmé stammered. "We made it our business to know everything about Palpatine's life the moment we decided to track him down." It was a weak lie, but it was better than none. Anakin placed his hand on her back, a gesture that was imperceptible to the shop keeper. The woman narrowed her eyes, but made no move to contradict them. Instead, she pushed herself up to stand at her full height.

"The name is Mintaka," she reached out a hand. Padmé hesitantly grasped it in her own and gave it a firm shake. The skin on the other woman's hand was leathery and rough. "If you can't find his ward, then you might be able to track down her little, green monkey," Mintaka suggested.

"Little, green monkey," Padmé mumbled in response. She wasn't sure how she felt about someone she hadn't known existed knowing so much about her.

"Yeah, a little swamp-monkey runt my sister and I found in the woods," she spoke breezily, but her black eyes were locked onto Padmé's own. "It was going to die here, so Orion passed it onto the ward. The way I hear she nursed that little thing right back to health when she was only four, the gentle little soul." Padmé could only muster a feint nod. Never before had she heard this side of Greenie's story. To her it felt as though Greenie had just always been by her side. "My sister was always amused by its innate ability to track down its household members, so you might have better luck with it." The woman let out a weary sigh and shrugged apologetically. “I’m sorry, but that’s all the information I got,” she told them, honesty pouring from her force presence.

"That’s alright," Padmé dipped her head slightly. "Thank you very much for your time." As she turned to leave, she froze in her tracks. Mintaka was staring at her expectantly. Drawing in a sharp breath, she pressed her lips into a thin line. Her heart burst into a sprint in her chest. "I'm so sorry for what happened to your sister," her voice dipped and wavered.

Mintaka lifted a hand and waved away her comment. "I love my sister dearly, but I know she wouldn't want me to drag myself down mourning her. So chin up," she spoke softly. That was a strange sentiment to Padmé. All she had done after Orion's death was lament over it. She had however, been the one that killed her. So maybe it was only fair she tore herself apart because of it.

Padmé dipped her head, and resumed her retreat to the door. Anakin followed closely behind her. Just as she put her hand on the door and began to push it open, Mintaka's voice called out to her. "Mrs Amidala," Padmé's head snapped back over her shoulder to peer at the woman behind the counter. Anakin tensed beside her. "I do believe there is an afterlife. I don't know what it is, but I do know that where ever my sister is, she is watching over you."


	12. Stick Fight

Padmé's head hung low as they slipped back into the tree line. The noisy buzz of the town faded away behind them. The sun was blotted out by the bushy canopy above. They wove through thick trunks. A melancholic feeling weighed down on her gut. Greenie, who had been waiting in the forest upon command, came swinging through the trees towards them, screeching a greeting. Within moments, she flung herself into Padmé's arms. Pulling her close, Padmé took a deep inhale of the monkey's fruity scent. To think that such a beautiful life could have been snuffed out before they met made her stomach churn. Pushing herself away, Greenie's golden eyes locked onto Padmé. Reaching up a tiny, green hand, she placed it over one of Padmé's eyes and tilted her head to one side. After letting out a squeaky chirp, she leapt to the floor and dashed off into the dark depths of the forest beyond. 

Padmé furrowed her brows and watched her tiny form disappear. "What's her problem?" Anakin pondered beside her. Shrugging, she flipped her hood back from her face. "We should wait here until Obi-Wan arrives," he told her, lowering himself to the ground at the base of a wide trunk. Padmé copied him, sitting down and leaning her back against the rough wood. Large roots snaked along the forest floor around them, forming a web of bumps and troughs. The bird whistled in the trees. In the distance she could pick out a deep whooping noise and several high pitched howls. In terms of the force, the woodland was just as lively as the town. Thousands of tiny lights burrowed through the ground around her. All kinds of creatures skittered across the leaf-littered floor and bounded between the highest branches of the tallest trees. There was a huge plethora of avian lifeforms that soared high up in the sky, only swooping low to catch their fleeing prey. 

Resting her head back against the tree behind her, she tried to absorb it all, but the hum of life could only distract her from herself for so long. Eventually, the sorrow and guilt that were produced in Mintaka's shop came clawing up from her subconscious and rooted themselves deeply within her mind. "Padmé," Anakin's soft voice called her. Cracking open her eyes, she cocked her up towards him. His eyes glared down at the ground in front of him and his elbows were resting on his knees. Where Padmé's legs were fully extended and crossed over, his were pulled into a tight basket. "Orion... was the one who raised you?" His brows hung low over his eyes.

"For my earliest years, yes," Padmé hummed, wrapping her arms around her chest.

"What-" he paused and cautiously glanced towards her. "What happened to her?" Although Padmé wasn't very sure why he wanted to know, his mind buzzed with untainted curiosity. It appeared as though he had no ill will for this conversation. Drawing in a deep breath, she flicked her eyes down to her lap. There was no good reason for her to tell him the truth. It was in the past and she wanted it to remain there, but she also couldn't quite bring herself not to tell him. After so many years of dishonesty, didn't she owe him a little truth?

"I murdered her," Padmé spoke through a long exhale. Anakin's head flicked up towards her. Guilt writhed within her, tearing her apart from the inside. "I didn't mean to... but I did."

Anakin reared backwards slightly. After a moment of silence he angled his body towards her. "You can't murder someone by accident," he told her in a gruff, steely tone. 

Padmé lifted her eyes to catch his narrowed gaze. "I don't quite understand it myself, but I did," she argued, drawing her legs up into a basket. 

Anakin twisted his face into a grimace. "Who told you this?" he asked with a note of skepticism. "Palpatine?" 

Padmé sat up and turned herself around to face him. "Just because he is the one that confirmed it, doesn't make it any less true," she bit back.

Anakin lifted his brows and let out a humourless laugh. "Yes it does," he spoke with such conviction that Padmé felt a glimmer of anger rising within her. What would he know? He wasn't there the day she died. Anakin pressed his lips into a thin line and placed a hand on her knee. "Padmé, he has been manipulating you since day one," his voice was rock steady. A stubborn, unwavering gaze bore into her own. "It would have only been to his benefit to make you think that you killed her."

Padmé's emotions teetered on the edge of a huge pit. Not once since she learned of Palpatine's treachery, had she stopped to figure out which of their interactions were just set points in his plan to use her. That was a hole too deep to fill. On the night Orion was killed, Padmé had no reason to mistrust him. He was her only pillar in her mess of a childhood. The first person to show her kindness. At least, what she thought was kindness. A cold fear settled over her shoulders. Could Palpatine have been lying? Was he trying to scare her into submission so early on? Padmé stomped down hard on those thoughts. No, all the people she had forfeited and all the horrible acts she committed were worth it. To control her inner darkness. The demon that had been eating away at her since birth. 

Shaking her head, she sent Anakin a firm and apologetic stare. "I don’t believe that, Anakin," she told him in a hushed voice. 

Instantly his shoulders dropped. He leaned away from her. "Don’t, or won't?" he asked, the corners of his lips tugged downwards.

"I think you already know the answer to that," Padmé replied gently. Anakin opened his mouth as though he was about to continue the argument, but he paused. Running a hand through his hair, he shifted himself back around and slumped against the tree trunk. Padmé followed suit, but kept her legs crossed tightly. A gentle breeze blew a few curls back from her face. 

They didn't sit in silence for long. Soon enough, Greenies screeches filled the air. Trading a quick glance, the pair leant forwards and scanned the forest around them. A little green streak was bounding towards them. In one of her hands was a long and thin object. "What has she got?" Padmé pondered. The monkey was running in a wonky, three legged lop.

"I have no idea," Anakin sounded perplexed. When Greenie reached them, she thrust the object into Padmé's hands. Upon closer inspection, she realised it was a stick. It had the same width was two fingers and was roughly the length of her arm. The monkey squeaked and pushed it further into her grasps. "A stick?" Anakin peeped. Padmé shrugged at him. Greenie grasped one of her hands and tugged her to her feet.

"Greenie, I don't understand," Padmé said, staring between the stick and the monkey. Greenie just jumped up and down on the spot for a few moments and screeched. With a sigh, she twirled the stick between her fingers. A memory crashed into her with the force of a republic cruiser. Long hours spent under an amber sky, swinging around a stick just like this. Greenie foraging in the tall grasses close by. Peace. Tranquility. Padmé blinked hard and sent an affectionate gaze towards the little monkey. "What a clever girl," she cooed, flipping the stick around her wrist and catching it back in her palm again. 

Greenie clapped her tiny hands furiously. With a flick of her tail, she bounced up into the branches above and bounded deep into the woods once again. Anakin stared at her with partially parted lips and one raised eyebrows. "When we were young, I used to practice my combat forms to cheer myself up," she explained with a chuckle, peering down at the stick in her hand.

A wide grin pulled at his lips and his eyes lit up with delight. Jumping to his feet, he reached a hand towards the overhanging trees. "Then maybe we should spar," he suggested. One of the branches above them began to tremble and quake.

"I don't know..." she responded, dropping her arms to her sides. The last time they fought with weapons was on Mustafar and if that experience taught her anything, it was not to get into physical fights with Anakin. Then again, he wasn't trying to hunt her down because she betrayed the Jedi and broke his heart. What's more, she also wasn't pregnant anymore and even with two extra people to carry, she had left him in her dust.

"Come on," he pleaded. "It'll be fun." There was a loud snap as the branch he was tugging on cracked in two places. The middle chunk with two jagged ends flew into his open palm. The stick in his grasps was roughly the length of Padmé's and a little thicker. "We have time to kill and emotions to purge," he added, wriggling his brows at her. With one hand, he broke off some of the smaller twigs that were sprouting from his branch.

Padmé jutted her jaw to one side and raised her stick to the ready. "Fine, just don't get upset when I win" She goaded him.

Anakin's brows lifted. "May I remind you, you are speaking to the hero of the Clone Wars," he spoke with a cocky bounce in his voice. Lifting his own make-shift weapon, they slowly began to circle one another. Padmé let out a 'hmpf' beneath her breath. It would feel nice to knock his ego down a few pegs, and he evidently needed it, but she hadn't even picked up a lightsaber in six years whilst he had been constantly fighting. She was quick to brush the doubt from her mind, it would serve her no good.

"Who was it that incapacitated Sidious in the end?" She taunted him and twirled her stick between her fingers. 

Anakin's eyes narrowed, the grin growing a little wider. "Who was the one left standing at the end of that fight?" He responded sharply. Padmé shot him a playful glare. Anakin lunged forwards, swinging the stick around in a large arc. Deflecting it with her own, she swiped at his chest. He blocked her stick with his.

"Yes, well, taking the brunt of a force lightning strike whilst in labour would do that to a girl," she remarked. Anakin pushed hard on her weapon, forcing her back a few steps. They swapped a few blows. The loud thwack upon impact reverberated through the entire forest.

Padmé backed through the trees slowly, with her stick angled towards him. Anakin's lopsided grin remain on his face as he advanced on her. The stick remained confidently lowered by his side. "I do remember having to carry you to the hospital," he teased.

Straightening up slightly, she ran her tongue over her teeth. "And I remember you switching to your mechanical hand halfway through the birth," she sent him a wry grin. 

Anakin's cheeks tinged red. "You have a powerful grip Padmé," he whined, suddenly narrowing his eyes to dangerous slits. "Let's see if it's powerful enough." Padmé's brows furrowed but, before she could ask what he meant, he leapt forwards. The stick came barrelling towards her at a frightening pace. She reacted just quickly enough to halt his swing with the tip of her own weapon. Anakin held his horizontal to the ground and pressed his full weight down on it. He wrapped one hand around the top of his stick, nearly doubling the pressure on Padmé's. Her arms trembled beneath the raw power.

Staggering back a few steps under the weight, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when her back collided with something tall and hard. Padmé was pressed against the sturdy trunk of a tree. With a wicked grin, he lowered his head until his face was inches from her own. A wavy lock of his hair fell forwards in front of his eyes. Padmé felt heat spread across her cheeks and her heart began to hammer in her chest. "Is the Padmé Amidala blushing?" he taunted her. "Now that is unheard of." Padmé's mind was too jumbled to think of any words to refute such a heinous claim. Instead, she leant forwards and pressed his lips against her own. Goosebumps prickled her skin in waves. The pressure on her stick dissolved. Lifting her arms, she wrapped them around his neck with her makeshift weapon still in hand. There was a thud by her feet. He dropped his stick. Placing a hand on either side of her face, he deepened the kiss. The heat of his breath trailed along her neck. 

Anakin pulled away, a cocky grin played across his lips. Padmé blew out a huff of air and dropped her hands to her sides. "I think the plumber might mind that one," she uttered softly, peering up at him through thick lashes. Still, her heart was racing in her chest.

"Good," he grunted. Eyes locking on her lips, the smile slipped from his face. He placed his hands on the trunk on either side of her head. Dipping down, he moved to kiss her once more. Padmé lifted her stick between them and pressed its tip against his chest. Anakin halted, his eyes widening a fraction.

"I win," Padmé uttered softly, ducking below his arm and taking a few wide steps back.

Anakin bent down and scooped up his stick from the ground. Clenching his jaw, he squinted his eyes at her. "You're one of those fighters, aren't you?" he grumbled, stepping towards her.

"Oh?" she tilted her head to one side.

"There are two kind of duellist," he began explaining, the corners of his lips tugged upwards. That one wave of hair still dangled down over his forehead. "The kind who rely on ability," he pointed a hand towards himself, "and those that rely on dirty tricks," he redirected the hand to her.

Padmé let out a hearty laugh. "I still won," she sang.

"Fine, lets go again," he demanded, spinning his stick between his hands.

"So I can win again?" she purred, raising her trusty weapon.

"No little tricks this time," he tutted.

"Fine by me," she shrugged. Anakin lunged forwards. They became a furious tornado of limbs and clattering branches. Every one of his strikes was fiercely powerful, rocking her very joints. It made her hands ache and sting. Still, Padmé felt a soothing sense of calm washing over her senses. It became much easier to predict and deflect his attacks. Not to mention, she could spot opportunities to strike with a greater efficiency.

They tore through the forest. Blotches of yellow poked through the tree line. Before she knew it, they had burst out into an open field. The sun glared down upon them. A thrilling buzz flowed through her veins. The field was filled with tall grasses that reached her knee. There were hundreds of yellow flowers that poked out of the greenery. Tall trees completely encircled the clearing. Their aggressive fighting did not falter, nor did it stop. The force soothed the unbearable heat. 

Just as they began to double back to the tree line, Anakin lashed out at her stick and causing it to completely snap in two. Padmé flipped backwards, out of his reach. Landing in the shade of a tree, she stared with wide eyes down at the two fragmented stumps in her hands. Anakin halted, still far enough away that he couldn't swipe at her. Barking a laugh, he twirled his perfectly intact stick between his hands. "Now that is just unfair," Padmé grumbled. 

Just off to the side she noticed a broken branch that was roughly the correct length and diameter, if a little crooked, and lying unattended on the forest floor. Anakin rushed forwards, slicing at her. Once again Padmé flipped out of his reach, only this time she used the force to beckon the new stick to her hands. The moment she landed, he was attacking once again. The new stick was slightly more chunky, making it more difficult to manoeuvre. It did however, hold up much better against the brutal attacks. They began fighting deeper and deeper into the forest.

After a particularly relentless flurry of strikes, they broke apart. Behind Padmé there was a small ravine. A little stream ran down its centre and was lined with grey pebble banks. Anakin peered at her with a mischievous smile, his chest heaving. Padmé herself was out of breath, her arms ached deep within the muscle. "You know," Anakin began, edging forwards a little. Padmé took a defiant step backwards, bringing the ravine to her heels. "You've been using the light side this entire time."

Padmé's mouth fell open. The lightside? She had no idea how to use the light side. Taking advantage of her shock, he threw himself at her. The pair collided and the momentum threw them down onto the stream's pebbly banks. Landing on her back, pain flared to life where her body smacked the cold ground. It drew a grunt from her lips and completely disoriented her. It took her a moment to reorganise her thoughts. A moment too long. Anakin was on top of her in seconds. He planted a knee on either side of her hip and pinned her wrists by the side of her head. A startled gasp escaped her lips. Somewhere along the way, they had both lost their flimsy weapons. "The light side?" Her voice hitched.

"Yes," Anakin hummed, his blue eyes bore into her own. Padmé's brows began to tug together. Anakin leaned down, close to her face. "Padmé," spoke breathily, drawing her attention onto him. "This round goes to me," he sent her a sly smile.

"You haven't caught me with that kriffing stick just yet," she reminded him.

"There is more than one way to win a fight," he informed her, his grin widening. Padmé cocked an eyebrow. "You can always make them surrender." It was quite the predicament she found herself in. The corner of her lips curled into a lopsided grin. "And I don't think you'll be able to escape me now." Padmé's heart jolted into a rapid pace as he lowered his head and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. When he released her wrists, she lifted her hands to place them on his sides. Warm muscle shifted beneath her fingertips. Something long and hard pressed against the base of her ribs. A shocked yelp escaped her lips. Pulling away from Anakin, she glanced down at the space between them. The tip of his stick was pressing against her abdomen.

"You little-" she was halted when he placed a finger on her lips.

He flashed her a cocky grin. "I win." Padmé shot him a teasing glare. The smile fell from his face as he stared down at her intently. Her breath caught in her throat. Leaning down, he replaced his finger with his lips. Even though the duel was over, it seemed he had no intention of stopping. Neither did she.


	13. Children

Cold water splashed against Padmé's face and seeped beneath her catsuit tight neckline. She was crouched over a stream. Glassy water bubbled over grey pebbles. The birds chorused in the trees. Orange rays illuminated the forest. Golden light rimmed the top of the small ravine they were in, allowing her to pick out every individual grass strand that lined its ridges. Anakin was seated back against the ravine's walls, his arms rested on the top of his knees and his hands dangled limply towards the ground. He peered at her from half-lidded eyes. A slick sheen of sweat coated his skin and his tousled hair fell in front of his eyes. His chest rose on fell as he drew in deep breaths. With the stream water still dripping from her hands, she used it to slick back her own stray hairs. “Don’t you know, staring is rude,” Padmé tutted playfully, shaking her hands dry.

Anakin kept his eyes trained on her and cocked an eyebrow. “You didn’t seem to mind-” The shrill ring of a communicator cut him short. Padmé lifted a hand to her mouth and stifled a laugh. With a grunt, Anakin lifted his gauntlet to hover in front of his face. "Obi-Wan, what's your progress?" he greeted his old master warmly.

"We are at the village," Obi-Wan responded with a hum. "You are not."

Padmé and Anakin caught each other's gazes with wide eyes. "We went for a walk," Anakin blurted out, although it sounded a lot more like a suggestion than a statement of fact. Padmé rolled her eyes and pushed herself to her feet. He followed her lead, scampering to a stand.

"A walk?" Obi-Wan responded dryly. Every beat of his voice told her he knew exactly what they were up to.

"Yes," Anakin cleared his throat and dusted off his clothing. To Padmé, he looked like a child that had been caught surfing the holonet past their bedtime. "We will be back by the time the sun has set," he added in a rush, ending the transmission. Padmé burst out laughing the moment she heard the disconnection beep. Anakin, on the other hand, looked mortified and had adopted a deep, scarlet hue.

*

When they arrived back at the village, all the cobbled streets were lit by flaming lamps. The streets were all deserted and the only people not indoors were those sitting in the open topped tavernas. Tea-light candles hung from the stone buildings. The sky was nearly pitch black. The occasional, meagre star could be spotted hanging above them. Small creatures of the night chirped and whooped in the darkness of the forest. 

They found the twins and Obi-Wan at the towering stone archway that acted as an entrance to the village. The cobbled road became sparse and cracked the further it travelled into the forest. Obi-Wan was leaning against the tall stone arch. Two huge torch cones lit his face in eerie orange light, but his amused smirk was very visible. The moment the twins spotted them, they came charging towards them full pelt. Padmé braced herself for impact, but it never came. Luke halted several feet away from her, Leia charging into his back on accident. "Watch it!" Leia grumbled, throwing her arms out to steady herself.

Luke peered up at Padmé with wide eyes. "I've never see you wear something like that, mommy," he commented, eyeing her clothes warily. Padmé glanced down at her clothes. She was still wearing her skin tight cat-suit. It would be quite a startling change from the puffy, loose clothes she normally wore on Coruscant. Obi-Wan lifted himself from the archway and began a steady walk towards their little huddle.

"Don't listen to him," Leia tutted and shook her head. The large buns she wore swung with the movement. "You look beautiful!" she cheered. 

"I didn't say she didn't look beautiful!" Luke snapped back, throwing up his arms in outrage. 

Padmé beamed down at them and sank gracefully to one knee. "Thank you very much," she spoke softly. Both children's faces lit up with a pride. Padmé held out her arms, "now are you going to hug me or what?" Both of them flung themselves into her arms. Squeezing them tight, she deeply inhaled their young, sickly sweet scent. With a groan, she released them and rose steadily to her feet. They wasted no time before attacking their father with tight hugs. Anakin chuckled, pulling them close. 

Obi-Wan stopped before Padmé, his warm gaze observing Anakin's exchange with the children. "I trust they weren't too much trouble?" she asked him, a smile curling her lips.

"No, very well behaved," Obi-Wan assured her, leaning his weight onto one leg. "As expected of Jedi younglings." Padmé dipped her head in agreement but, from the tall tales the twins had told her, not all was peaceful and serene amongst the younglings of the temple. Obi-Wan reached to his belt and plucked a long, silver lightsaber from it before passing it over to her. "Kind regards from Master Yoda," he explained with a smile.

From the hilt, Padmé's warped reflection peered up at her in disbelief. It hummed and buzzed in her hands in a familiar way. Warmth blossomed in her heart. Flicking her thumb across the ignition, the red blade sprung forth from the handle. It purred into the air. Twirling it in her hands, she was hypnotised by the scarlet train of light it left in its wake.  
Luke and Leia gasped, staring up at the blade with twinkling eyes. "I've never seen a red one before," Luke commented, tilting his head to the side.

Leia's large eyes reflected the red light. "Can you use it mummy?" she asked, entranced by the weapon's bright glow.

Padmé instantly regretted igniting it. "When I have to," she responded, sadly watching the blade sink back into the hilt. Clipping it on her belt she shot them a wink. 

"Did you find out anything useful from Tro-Efren?" Anakin turned his gaze to Obi-Wan as he released the children.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He wouldn't say a thing," he repined, crossing his arms over his chest. "I could sense he didn't know where Sidious is anyway," he remarked, lifting a hand to stroke his beard. "He should be in a Theed prison by now."

"Good," Anakin said grumpily, crossing his arms tightly.

"Is this the place you holoed is from?" Luke asked, casting his eyes around the town. Padmé hummed and affirmation. He scrunched up his nose. "Do they even have holoprojectors here?" he scoffed.

Padmé chuckled beneath her breath. Anakin started a grumbling response, but a sudden thought grabbed at her attention. Palpatine had used a holoprojector. A fairly large, good quality one as well. In this rural part of Naboo, there were only so many places they could be found. "Anakin," she spoke abruptly, reaching out and placing a hand on his arm. He stared over at her with alarm. "Did the ship Tro-Efren stole to transport Sidious have any records of a holoprojector on board?"

"No, it didn't," he responded quickly, narrowing his eyes at her. Padmé ran a thumb along the length of her jawbone.

"Then there is only one place Palpatine could have gotten the holoprojector he used from," her voice began to skip with excitement. "A shop, here in town."

Anakin scrunched up his face. "We already spoke to every shopkeeper here," he argued.

Padmé sent him a cunning smile. "This shop keeper is... a little different," she explained. "He doesn't sell from the market square."

"Then we'll visit him first thing tomorrow," Anakin responded. Gentle whispering caught her attention. The twins were speaking almost silently into each other's ears. Their rounded eyes peered up at their parents and their faces were pulled into their serious brainstorming expressions. The three adults traded a unified, confused glance. 

"Is everything alright?" Padmé asked them. 

The twins froze and peered up at them. They shared a wary glance with each other. They harshly whispered to one and other some more before Leia finally spoke, "we've never seen you and daddy touch before," she commented, staring between them.

"Leia said it's because you are allergic to each other," Luke added, cocking his head to one side.

"What?" Padmé's voice rose an octave. The twins stared at her blankly. "We aren't allergic to each other," she guffawed. Reaching out, she tugged Anakin's human hand away from his chest and grasped it in her own. Anakin himself had a deep frown carved into his features, but her held her hand tightly. "See," she told them softly, presenting the clasped hands in front of them. The children stared at it warily, as though they expected it to blow up immanently. 

"No, they aren't allergic to each other," Obi-Wan chuffed, placing a hand on their shoulders. "Trust me, they went out walking today." He sent them a deceptively sweet smile. Padmé cursed Anakin's inability to lie.


	14. Campfire

The night air was still around them. A small fire was boxed in by a round set of stones. The trees creaked over their heads. The short grass was trampled down into the ground around them. The flames were the only thing fending off the night sky. Padmé was sitting cross legged, absorbing the heat from the flames. Just beside her, Anakin was sprawled across the floor, one twin curled into each arm. Their force signatures were completely interlocked. The twins were grasping at the edge of her mind as they always did when they were with her, but they seemed to be completely absorbed into their father's light. Occasionally one of them would murmur or let out a soft snore. The sight warmed her heart. Cuddling her knees close to her chest, she watched them with a somber smile. Across the flames, Obi-Wan was tinkering away with his lightsaber handle. His lips were pursed to the side as he manoeuvred a small wire through a series of tiny holes built into the cylindrical interior.

"Are they always like that?" Padmé whispered to Obi-Wan. When his eyes lifted to hers, she nodded over to the sleeping trio. Jedi's eyes flicked towards them, his gaze softening. The edges of his lips curled upwards. 

"Whenever no one else is looking," Obi-Wan responded gently. Smiling eyes focused on his former apprentice’s face. "I think Anakin is at his happiest when he is with them."

Padmé rested her chin on her knees. Focusing in the whooshing of their breath, she let out her own steady sigh. "I don't think he'd ever admit to it, but I knew he always wanted to be a father," she told Kenobi, hugging her legs tighter. The greatest deed she had ever done was have her children. That much she knew they could all attest to.

"Even as a padawan, I saw he had a soft spot for children," Kenobi commented, his eyes shifting back down to his work. With steady fingers, he began slotting his lightsaber back together. "Never did I imagine he would end up having some of his own," he chuckled. There was a lingering sadness behind his voice that screamed out to her. For only a moment, his presence wavered.

Cocking her head, she focused her eyes on his calm expression. "Would you ever have kids?" she asked him gently.

Obi-Wan peered up at her with wide, startled eyes. His mouth fell open, but he clamped it shut again. Padmé waited in silence. His eyes dropped to the floor. After a few seconds of deliberation, he sat up straight and continued his work on his weapon. "The thought has crossed my mind, but I'm much to old to start a family," he finally answered. A frown slipped onto his features. "I wouldn't be much of a parent anyway, I had no role model."

Padmé lifted her head from her knees and shot him a look of disbelief. "Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are far from old. There are many years in you yet," she scolded him lightly. A guilty smile sprung to his face. "I am sure Anakin would agree, you would make a terrific father."

Obi-Wan's lips parted slightly, his frown deepened. Placing his weapon to the ground, he planted his hands on his knees. "I would hardly see them. I'm too busy with my Jedi life," he told her sternly.

Padmé cocked a brow. "I think Anakin managed just fine," she pointed to the dormant Jedi and his sleeping children.

Obi-Wan let out a sigh of defeat and pushed his head into his hands. "Maybe one day," he told her wearily.

*

When Padmé awoke on her back, a fruity, sweet smell overpowered her senses. Something with course and thick fur bristled at her nose, giving her the urge to sneeze. There was something large and warm snugged into her side. When she peeled her eyes open, all she could see was green. A smile sprung to her face. Lifting her head slowly, she peered around her.

Brilliant streams of light poured in through the canopy above. Birds twittered happily in the trees. Loud animals whooped in the distance. Their cries echoed through the forest. By Padmé's head, Greenie was diligently grooming her fur. Anakin was sitting just an arms length away, gently pulling long locks of Leia's hair back from her eyes. His eyes were still closed over, his body slumped inwards. Leia was curled into a tight ball by his side. Luke had migrated throughout the night, now sleeping soundly by Padmé's side with an arm haphazardly draped over her stomach.

Obi-Wan was sitting across from the charred remains of the fire. Legs crossed and hands on his knees, he was breathing deeply. With the way his eyes were closed and how the force thrummed around him, it was clear he was deep in meditation. 

Padmé delicate removed Luke's arm from on top of her and laid it by his side. Digging her palms into the ground, she pushed herself up. Pain shot through her body, drawing a gentle grunt from her lips. All of her muscles were stiff and groaned upon use. The exertion from the previous day's sparring seemed to have caught up with her. It had been six years since she'd picked up a lightsaber after all. 

From the corner of her vision, she caught Anakin's lips lift into a smug little smile. Narrowing her eyes, she reached out and swatted his shoulder. The smile only widened and his eyes cracked open. "You'd better watch yourself Anakin," Kenobi tutted. "You might never go walking together again." That wiped the stupid grin from his face. Padmé bit down on her lip, heat blushing her features.

"It was the monkey's fault," Anakin grumbled defensively.

Obi-Wan's head snapped towards his former apprentice, eyes open wide. "I sincerely hope it wasn't," he tutted.

Anakin's brows pulled together. After a moment, red colouring flooded his features. "That's not what I-"

Leia stirred, silencing them all. Sitting up, she rubbed at her eyes and let out a heart-melting yawn. "Good morning princess," Anakin croaked, lifting a hand and planting it on top of her head. Leia grunted a greeting. Dropping her hands to her lap, she peered around and blinked owlishly. A halo of frizz shifted with her every movement. The moment she spotted Greenie, she completely froze. Her eyes snapped wide open. With a squeal, she clambered onto her father's lap and pressed her back against his chest.

"What is that?" she hissed, pointing a finger at the monkey. Anakin chuckled beneath his breath and wrapped his arms around her. Luke began to rouse. A mess of golden locks lifted from the ground. Greenie let out a chirp and pulled herself into Padmé's arms. Luke squinted at her as though he was trying to figure out if he was still dreaming. The monkey tugged Padmé’s neck into a tight embrace that was swiftly returned. 

"It's okay sweetheart," Padmé purred to the children, gently stroking Greenie's back. "She won't hurt you."

Luke shifted closer, his mouth hanging open. "Can I touch her?" he asked abruptly. Padmé reached out and delicately grasped one of his wrists. Gently, she lowered his hand onto Greenie's back and released him. The monkey stiffened but, after a few impressively soft pats from Luke, she loosened off. Leia remained tightly wrapped in Anakin's arms. "What is she?" Luke asked, staring at Greenie with starry eyes.

"A Nabian swamp monkey," Padmé responded, flicking his bangs back from his eyes with the tip of her finger. Greenie pulled away from her and turned to face him. Luke startled a little, but didn't lean away. "She was my best friend when I was your age," she explained. The monkey crept closer to Luke and wrapped him into a quick hug. The little boy was left awestruck, his mouth agape. 

“I love her,” he murmured.

"How can you be friends with a monkey?" Leia asked, scrunching up her button features.

Padmé barked a laugh. "Lots of time getting to understand one another," was the only response she got. In many ways, she supposed, that was how you made friends with any living being. Upon hearing Leia speak, Greenie crept slowly towards the child and halted by Anakin's legs. Leia went rock still, her eyes wide open, her father trying to stifle an amused smile. The monkey flicked its head between the little girl and her mother. Reaching out, she placed a green thumb below Leia's eyes. Next, Greenie looked up at Anakin, then Luke, then back to Padmé. Letting out a squeak, she sat back on her haunches. 

"What a clever little creature," Obi-Wan remarked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you getting tired of reading about campfires? I’m getting tired of writing about them. I’m also running out of descriptive phrases.


	15. Gringle

The moment Padmé stepped into the workshop, she was overpowered by the stench of machine oil. It nipped at her gaze, making her surroundings a shimmering haze. A wall of heat smashed into her. The deafening noise of clanking metal pounded against her eardrums. Shoddy, yellowed lighting flickered above. The shop was small. Several workbenches were lying across the room with many different tools and machine parts scattered across them. Hanging from the wall were deactivated droid carcasses. Many had been completely gutted. Their cores lay in several states of undress in piles below their feet. Tied the the ceiling were hundreds of mechanical arms, legs and torsos. A few still twitching and sparking. 

Padmé screwed up her nose and ducked below a shivering B1 battle droid arm. Anakin was swift to follow her. His eyes lit up like a child in a sweetshop. With a slack jaw, he scanned the length and breath of the room. Padmé wove through a maze of various droid parts. After a moment or two of searching, she located a long, wooden counter that was tucked away into the corner of the room. Warily approaching it, she glanced around. There was no attendant. "Hello?" she called over the mechanical din.

A mass of tentacles sprung up from behind the desk, causing her to yelp. Angular suckers gripped onto the supple wooden surface and hauled a long, circular body up behind it. The man had several round, blinking eyes that sat on his fleshy face. His skin was slimy and peachy with dull pink spots. "Good morning," the man groaned, several of his eyes blinking in discord. "I'm Gringle the mechanic, how can I help?"

"We're here for information," Anakin responded gruffly, flicking his eyes up and down the man.

"What do you want to know?" Gringle's thick accent gave him a slight slur between words.

"We are looking for this man," Anakin responded, pulling out a holoprojector from his robes and displaying a flickering holo of Darth Sidious. The image alone made every muscle in her body tense.

Gringle nodded his head sluggishly. "I know him," he responded slowly. Padmé and Anakin shot each other tiny, nearly imperceptible smiles. "That old nerfherder came by my shop not too long ago," he pointed a tentacle at the holo. All of his eyes, but one, narrowed into tiny slits.

"Did he mention where he was going?" Padmé asked, leaning towards the man.

"No," Gringle responded curtly, shaking his head.

"What did he say to you?" Anakin pressed further.

"Not much," Gringle sighed. "Just picked out a holoprojector, paid and left." Padmé felt her shoulders fall. A false pretence of hope collapsed into a pit of despair in her stomach. At this rate, they were never going to find Sidious. "Nasty fellow," Gringle flashed a row of pointed teeth. "Smelled like swamp-eel."

For a fleeting moment, Padmé was cradling a tiny, soaking Gungan infant close to her chest. A lowing pool was situated beside her. Its surface was black and constantly shifting. As soon as the image appeared, she used the force to ram it back into the deaths of her mind. "Thank you for your time," Padmé spoke in a rush, dipping her head to the tentacled man.

Grabbing Anakin's arm, she steered him out of the shop. He peered down at her with furrowed brows. "I think I know where we need to go next," she told him. A disturbing thought flashed across her mind, making her teeth grate together. Why would Sidious risk showing his face in public to purchase a holoprojector to contact them? Her master was more than powerful enough to face them head on and have a very good chance of fleeing after he gleaned whatever information it was he wanted from them. What was his motive?

*

Obi-Wan tried to fight back the headache developing in his temples. The suffocating heat of the Nabian was completely drowning him. The twin's shrill voices bickered incessantly back and forwards. The forest around them was silent and creatures with any kind of hearing, had long since fled. What the pair were arguing about, he had lost track of. They had not been this vocal on the journey to see Anakin and Padmé, although then they didn't have a little, green monkey escort.

Greenie was bounding through the trees along side them. Occasionally she would dip down to hitch a ride from the children but, after a few minutes of trying to balance on their tiny, swaying shoulders, she would eventually give up and return to the trees.

They were already a few hours into their trek, but it felt significantly longer. Not even the repetitive thudding of his feet could lull him into meditation. Something suddenly shifted in the force, causing him to grind to a halt. Staring around at the endless tree trunks, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. The children still uttered nonsense. "Luke, Leia, be on you guard," he instructed them. Instantly they were silenced and scurried back towards him. Greenie's high pitched wail cut through the air, the same one she used when Padmé had disappeared into the lake.

Panic flooded his mind. Opening his mouth to tell the children to run, the words were silenced when electricity rammed into him from the side and set agonising tendrils of pain racing through all of his muscles. A strained gasp escaped his lips and he collapsed to the floor like a bag of rocks. Grass poked at his skin. He could hear the children's screams, but it was distant and far away. A cackle grated on his nerves. The corners of his vision were tinging black. The pain faded away like a distant memory. Unconsciousness took hold.

*

Padmé slipped into the fishery noiselessly. A salty tang nipped her eyes and nose. The room beyond was dim. High metal walls rose to a rim of small windows that let in pathetic streams of light. Huge shelves that used to be lined with all kinds of eel handling equipment and silk harvesting tools were barren and covered in a fine layer of dust. Every step she took echoed all around them. In the centre of the room, a raised dais had a tall, thin railing surrounding what she knew was a deep pool.

Slowly, she wandered towards the dais. The ground crunched beneath her feet. Her eyes scanned every inch of every surface she could see. She held the force tightly around her, listening closely for any disturbances. There was nothing. Stepping up onto the raised ground, she leant down on the railings. The pool was completely empty. It's dry walls were cracked and chipped. With the eye alone, no one would ever know what truly happened here. For a moment, the image shifted. Dark waters churned and splashed with hundreds of long, writhing eels. Blinking hard, the image vanished. Goosebumps prickled the back of her neck.

Padmé's shoulders dropped and she let out a weary sigh. Lifting herself up from the railings, she turned back towards the huge doors that were cranked open. Anakin was wandering towards her, his brows tugged down and his eyes scanning the room. "What is this place?" he scrunched up his nose.

Padmé let out a weary sigh. "It's one of Palpatine's old fisheries. He used to farm eel silk here," she explained. "I thought he might be here because of the smell Gringle described. I guess I was wrong." She shrugged. He sent her a reassuring smile.

Anakin stepped up onto the dais. When his eyes landed on the pool behind her, his brows shot up. Next, his gaze lingered on the floor by the railings. Padmé could practically feel him slotting the puzzle pieces together. Peering at her cautiously, he cocked an eyebrow. "Is this where...?" He whispered. She dipped her head with a solemn expression. Clenching his jaw, he continued to scan the area. All he had seen of her ordeal with the gungan boy was the holo shown in her trial. Sitting down on the railing, she let out a heavy sigh. "Did he use the gungan's family land to make a laboratory?" Anakin asked, clenching his hands around the cold metal she sat on. 

Padmé frowned. That was a memory she cornered off some time ago. She was not keen to follow up on the destruction she had caused, but her master had mentioned it once or twice. "Yes, I think he did," she responded. A shock jolted her, forcing her suddenly to her feet. "Those Gungan's lived on the edge of a swamp infested with eels," she told him, meeting his wide eyes. "They stunk up the whole plot of land."

The expression he wore darknened. "Then that is where we are going next."

*

When Obi-Wan began to drift back to consciousness, he was distinctly aware of the warm liquid bubbling around him. All he could see was green. The force was muted and dangling out of his reach. Something was wrapped tightly around his nose and mouth. Taking in raspy breaths, he was quick to realise he was completely paralysed. No matter how he hard he willed his eyes to move or his fingers to twitch, they remained stuck in place. 

Obi-Wan had been injured enough times to know he was in a bacta tank. What he hadn't experienced before was the paralysis and the dampened force connection. "Confused?" A low voice warbled. "Don't try to escape. Its completely futile." The bacta liquid fizzed in his ears, forcing him to really concentrate to make any sense of the noise. Obi-Wan's heart began to pound in his chest. The last thing he remembered was the twins. The forest. Lightning. Sidious. 

A dark shape shifted before his eyes, but he couldn't make out any definition. Despite his weak force connection, he could feel the queasy strength of the dark side all around him. His heart sank into his gut. If anything had happened to the twins, Anakin would never forgive him. He would never forgive himself.

"The Skywalker brats are still alive," Sidious's warped voice purred. Once again, Obi-wan found himself straining to understand the words. "I need you alive for now." The Jedi's heart pounded. Whatever the Sith had planned, it would surely only end in death and destruction. "I'm dying," Sidious admitted, although Obi-Wan wasn't certain why. "I need a new body, and there is an ancient Sith technique that allows a mind to transfer to the body of the person who kills them, as long as it is done out of anger." If Obi-Wan could have, he would have curled his upper lip into a sneer. Everything with Palpatine was about manipulation. "I didn't spend all that time breaking my apprentice for nothing," he chuckled. "I know she will lash out and kill me, just as I want her to. I only need you for the bait."

Obi-Wan felt confusion rising within him. Padmé wasn't the only one who could kill Sidious in anger. Anakin was still carrying a lot of rage at the chancellor's betrayal. Sidious let out a cackle. A long, crooked hand landed on the glass in front of the Jedi’s face and made him flinch internally. “I sense your questions...” Sidious hummed. “About your former apprentice?” Obi-Wan’s gut stirred. Although he hadn’t been trying to conceal his thoughts, it started him that Sidious could pick them out so easily. “Too much remains unknown about Skywalker. A lot can change in six years,” he explained. “My old apprentice on the other hand, I know I will be able to a frenzy so terrible she won’t be able to stop herself killing me.” A rattled the glass around him.

Obi-Wan felt outrage stir within him. If Sidious had buried a self-destruct somewhere within Padmé’s psyche, there might not be any chance she could overcome it. Not on her own. It was a strange thought, but Kenobi knew he was going to have to trust Anakin to act on the Jedi code for perhaps the first time in his life. 

Unease ground writhing his mind. Sidious never did anything without a purpose, so why was he telling him all of this. Why now? If Obi-Wan found a way to escape, it would ruin his plan. Unless, that’s exactly what he wanted. Once again the cackle pounded in his ears. “No, my dear friend. You will never escape and you will never feel air on your skin again.” Obi-Wan’s stomach became leaden with realisation. Sidious wasn’t telling him this as some part of a grand scheme, he was doing this for his own personal pleasure. Without the ability to move or use the force, he had no way of warning his friends of the trap laid before them. All he could do was watch them fall in.


	16. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last two chapters will be up tomorrow!

Padmé could feel her unease simmering as they powered through the forest. The sun was peaking in the sky. Almost unbearable heat shone down on them from gaps in the canopy. The air was beginning to reek of salt and damp mould. Anakin's face was trapped in a harsh scowl as he strode through the thick trees. The long trail of his cloak flapped out behind him. Something wasn't right. They could both sense it. A dull buzz in the force that warned them of danger ahead. Sidious was close by. She could feel the haze of darkness that cloaked him beginning to thicken.

One singular thought was still bouncing around within her mind and had been since Gringle’s shop. The thought had long tails of facts that didn't add up and theories with too many holes. Turning her head to Anakin, she knew he would have the missing pieces to her puzzle if there was even a puzzle to begin with. He turned his head towards her, cocking a brow. Padmé bit down on her lip. "How did Palpatine escape?" She asked him.

Anakin's eyes flicked to the path before him. "After the lethal injection was given, his body was taken to the crematorium. That's when Tro-Efren broke in and freed Palpatine from the capsule his body was in and fled Coruscant." His fists curled into tight balls. "There must have been someone on the inside that swapped his injection for something that suppressed vitals." 

Padmé stroked her chin with a hand. "What if there wasn't?" she suggested. Anakin screwed his face up. "What if he really did get hit with that injection?"

"Then he'd be dead," Anakin retorted dryly.

"Think about it, why else would he have crawled away to a secret laboratory, that would have all the equipment needed to keep him alive, when he could have completely vanished to some backwater planet?" She felt more puzzle pieces slotting into place. There was no doubt Sidious was strong enough in the force to keep himself alive for long enough to get help after being hit with a lethal injection. Anakin's expression fell slightly. "Wouldn't he have switched between fifteen different transports to make sure his trail went cold, if he wasn't in a rush to save his life?" The Jedi's eyes glazed over in thought. "Surely if he was at full power, he wouldn't have needed a bounty hunter to break him free?"

Anakin nodded his head. "That would also explain why he only confronted us over holo," he hummed, a small smile curled his lips. Delight twinkled in his eyes as they met hers. "He is wounded and weak," a hint of aggression echoed off every word. A glimmer of hope rose within her. Perhaps Sidious wouldn't be too difficult to defeat. Then again, with the tension so thick in the force, she wasn't so sure.

When they reached the laboratory, it was very evident. Palpatine's stink was so pungent in the force, she could practically hear the screams of all the ghosts haunting him. They were standing on the shores of an unnaturally round swamp. Creatures slunk through the darkest depths of the murky water. Trees with long, hanging vines leaned over the surface. It had only taken them a matter of minutes to locate a small button hidden within the hollow of a tree trunk. Upon pressing it, a large square of ground a few meters from the water began to rumble and shift. The thick grasses split open to reveal a deep, curling stairwell that descended into darkness. Together, they stood at the top of the stairwell, peering into the inky blackness below.

"Padmé," Anakin's voice dropped slightly. Padmé's hair stood on end. She knew that voice. She knew that voice all too well. It was the same soft utter he used whenever he was going to tell her something she wasn't going to like. Craning her neck up towards him, she let out a shallow sigh. "I think this is where we should part ways," he said, lifting his stern gaze to meet hers.

Padmé's jaw went slack. "You're trying to tell me, you want to fight him alone?" she asked venomously, narrowing her eyes to slits.

Anakin's jaw tightened, he held her stare with his own. "Just like we agreed on Nemo," he snapped.

Padmé turned her whole body to face him. A flicker of annoyance rising within her chest. "On Nemo, you had Obi-Wan." Dramatically glancing around, she planted a hand on her hip, "and I don't see him here."

"It is too dangerous," he barked, his voice rising. "By facing him, you will only throw yourself into his grasps and end up being manipulated." Padmé reared back as though he had slapped her. Cold shock numbed her internally. "I can't focus on killing him and keeping you safe at the same time," his voice was gentler, but still coloured with aggression. Always with the aggression.

An angry snarl curled her lips but, before she could say anything, a familiar screech cut through the air. Padmé jolted as something landed hard on her shoulders. Anakin's brows shot up. "Greenie?" Padmé squeaked as the monkey used her body to clamber to the floor. The last she checked, she had sent Greenie with Obi-Wan and the twins to make their walk a little less dull. Cold fear stirred in her gut. The monkey began to jump up and down on the first step, screaming and clapping her hands together. She suddenly lurched forwards, grabbing Padmé's hand and dragging her towards the steps. Padmé and Anakin caught each other's eyes. 

"The twins!" he cried, clear panic flashing across his eyes. Dodging around her, he began thundering down the metal stairwell. Padmé moved to follow him, but he halted a few steps down and whipped around to face her. Lifting an open palm towards her, his eyes pleaded with her. "Please just stay here, you'll just get in my way."

Padmé's nostrils flared out. "They are my children too, Anakin," she hissed. "There is no way I could ever leave them in Sidious's clutches. You know that." Anakin didn't shift, his lips were pressed into a thin line. Still, that unwavering gaze of his begged her just to listen to him. "I understand why you're afraid I might flip out but, just like the last time we faced him, I will not let him get the best of me." Every word she said was lined with deadly diction.

Anakin drew in a deep breath. Shifting his weight, he pointed a gloved finger towards her, "if you so much as even begin to have a flashback, you will get yourself out of there." Padmé was not fond of his overbearing tone but, considering the situation, she was willing to let it wash over her.

"You don't need to tell me that," she snapped back. Peering at her for a moment, the muscles in his jaw went taught. Shaking his head, he finally bound down the rest of the steps. Padmé was fast on his trail. They burst through a series of heavy doors and tore through a winding maze of pitch black corridors. Huge pipes lined the thin hallways. Palpatine's presence just kept getting closer and closer. With her heart pounding in her chest, she fought to maintain control of her heavy breathing. Ahead of her, Anakin was running full pelt. His mind was a battle field of fear and anger. The emotions crashed into one another so ferociously that they twisted together to form a whirlwind of distress. Padmé herself, was not much better off.

They burst through one last set of doors into the black heart of Sidious's force presence. Somewhere along the way, they had lost the little green monkey. The room ahead was dank and dim. Tall bacta tanks rose in militant rows all across the floor. The green solution within their glassy bodies illuminated the room with their eerie shine. They formed a series of long, diagonal lines. This blocked out any glimpse they could have had of the rest of the room. Anakin hissed through his teeth, delving into the maze. Padmé followed, slightly more hesitantly. This screamed trap to her.

Together, they wove straight through the tall tanks. Everywhere around her felt like Sidious. That toxic black power he oozed had completely filled the room. Her heart pounded so hard, she felt it rocking her entire body. After passing through several rows, they found the centre of the room; an open square of glossy, black floor that was lowered into the ground and boxed in by a small set of steps. At its centre was a long, thin workbench that was littered with all kinds of mechanisms, nuts and bolts. 

What caught her eyes was the three bacta tanks on the opposite side of the square. Two small bodies in Jedi robes floated within the green liquid. By their side, a much larger Obi-Wan was also completely submerged. They peered out of the liquid prison with dead, glassy eyes. A triangular mask was secured around their nose and mouths. The mask had a long clear tube that was connected directly to the top of the tank. Their bodies were completely limp, but their bright light was thrumming within the force.

Anakin and Padmé raced down the steps towards the bacta tanks, but they only reached the work table. Sidious stepped out from between the two tanks that held the twins. A maniacal cackle escaped his twisted lips. The hood of his cloak was pulled down to his nose. The fabric was long and flowing, but couldn't conceal something thick and chunky that was secured to his chest. Through the crack in the front of his cloak, she could make out a few blinking lights. Padmé's heart lifted slightly. Perhaps she was right.

Anakin stepped forwards, drawing his sapphire blade. Before he could lunge, Palpatine rose two hands in mock surrender. "Don't be so hasty, my boy," he tutted. In one of his gnarled, knobbly hands was a long, slender, metallic cylinder with a glowing red button on top. Both parents went completely still. "If I press this trigger, all three of them will be fried to death in seconds," he hissed.

"Don't!" Padmé shouted, narrowing her eyes to tiny slights.

"Oh, I won't," he responded in a soft tone, taking a small step towards them. "As long as you do me one small favour," his voice wavered pathetically.

"What?" Anakin snapped, sheathing his lightsaber and clipping it to his side. Still, his entire body was rigid and slightly doubled over like a wild animal preparing to pounce.

The tank beside Obi-Wan's began to hiss and beep. It slowly lowered to the ground and its glass casing revolved until it formed a long, slitted opening. "Get in, Skywalker," he sneered, his hand still brandishing the bright, red trigger. Padmé felt tempted to pull the contraption straight from his wrinkled hands, but the dark side shielded him from any such assault. Anakin was glued to the spot. His fists curled into tight balls. "Or, your children and old master will die." A few more beats of silence rang out. Anakin’s mind was boiling furiously. “You could try and see if you could save them before they are shocked. Is failing a risk you are willing to take?” the Sith taunted them.

Padmé's heart leapt into her mouth. If he went into that capsule, he would be just as vulnerable as the others. Reluctantly, he stomped up to the empty bacta tank and slid inside. Instantly, the glass sealed over and the tank rose from the ground steadily. Green liquid began seeping into the tank, puddling around his feet. Padmé's shoulders drooped as a face mask fell down in front of him. Sending a seething glare to Sidious, he raised the mask and secured it tightly over his face. The green solution filled rapidly, now sloshing around his knees. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest, his fury whipping wildly out of control.

Sidious watched the Jedi with a cocky smirk. Before Padmé knew it, Anakin was also another body floating lifelessly in a bacta tank. Glossy blue eyes were stuck glaring at the Sith. Sidious let out a loud chuckle that ended in a rasping cough. Padmé, still rooted to her spot by the workbench, watched him closely. Sidious turned his attention to her, descending the steps until they were face to face. "It's been some time, my old apprentice," he crowed, still clutching the trigger tightly in his hand.

"What is it you want from me?" Padmé spat, her arms hanging stiffly by her sides.

"I was only going to offer you a proposition," he bleated. "No need for such hostility." Padmé narrowed her eyes and grated her teeth together. Any deal of his would only endanger her family more, but she had no other option than to play his little game until she found a loophole.

"What proposition?" she snapped, her brows furrowing together.

"I will not kill them," he nodded his head to the bodies in the bacta tank, “if you can take the trigger off me," he growled. Before Padmé could process his words, he lunged towards her and ignited his crimson blade. She barely had any time to ignite her own and catch the blow before it chopped her head clean off. Thrusting out the hand with the trigger, he sent a powerful wave of power rushing over her and forced her to stagger several steps backwards.

When she regained her bearings and glanced around the room, he had vanished. Goosebumps prickled her skin. A crazy cackle echoed all around her. Padmé spun in circles trying to locate the source. She fought to remain in control of her shaky breath. Her lightsaber hummed in her hands. "I didn't know we were playing hide and seek," she snapped out, casting a wary eye at the numerous rows of bacta tanks.

Shifting into motion, she found herself creeping through the maze of empty capsules. The laugh sounded again, but it was much closer and growing louder. Padmé spun, slashing with her lightsaber. Sidious, who had been charging her from behind, ducked beneath the strike and stabbed forwards. Flipping back out of his range, she readied her weapon once more but he had disappeared further into the maze once again. Hot panic prickled her insides. 

Moving at a steady pace, she found herself disoriented and lost in the masses of identical bacta tanks. She found herself spinning in circles, her pulse thundering in her ears. No matter how she tried, she couldn't focus on her master's exact location because it felt as though he was everywhere. Memories of the past flashed across her mind. The darkside roused with it, cooing at her pain and misery. Pressing her knuckles against her temple and squeezing her eyes shut, she used the force to thrust her past deep down into her mind. Guilt rose within her. She had promised Anakin she would flee if something like this were to happen, but she couldn't leave them die.

Another laugh sent a cold shiver down her spine and caused her eyes to snap open. Palpatine was still nowhere to be seen. "I have a confession for you, my dear," Sidious's voice attacked her from all angles. Padmé kept her mouth tightly shut, not trusting her voice to hold strong. "You didn't murder your parents." She froze. Her mind repeated the statement over and over, but she didn't understand it. She couldn't. "I did," he hissed. 

The Sith sprung out from a tank beside her, crimson blade flaring out. Only on pure instinct she was able to fend him off. A cold reality began to settle in her stomach. Beneath his dark hood, she could see his yellowed, rotten grin and glowing golden eyes. After trading a few swipes, he ducked behind a bacta tank. Padmé chased him around, but he had already retreated too far for her to locate him. 

Anger began to build within her like a growing inferno. It consumed all the shock and all the fear in her mind in one full swoop. All these years. All these years she thought she was the one who had orphaned herself. That the darkside claimed her as its property from the very first breath she took. If it was all fake, if it was all lies, then all the pain in her life had been for nothing. "Show yourself!" she yelled, the grip on her lightsaber hilt became deathly tight. “You murderous snake!” An unforgiving laugh responded. Picking up pace, she scoured the maze.

"I was also the one who killed Orion," he wheezed. Something snapped within Padmé. That raging fire within completely consumed her. Letting out a roar of anger, she threw a hand out in front of her. All the bacta tanks in her path were instantly shattered. Shards of glass rained down. Green liquid splattered her in the face and pooled on the floor. An overpowering sour stench filled the air. 

Padmé had blown away over half of the room's bacta tanks. Now all that remained were circular, raised pedestals that used to act as a base for the glass chamber. The room's central square was now easy to find and she could still spot four bodies floating within their tanks. The moment she caught sight of him, her whole body lurched towards Sidious. The Sith was only a few tanks away from her, his face twisted into a wide grin. 

Within moments they were clashing again in a flurry of red blades. Hot rage was coursing through her veins and pulling the dark side through her. Memories of sparring with her master played in her mind, but she let them run. They fuelled her rage. Every burn, every shock, every time she nearly died. They all pushed her further. Faster. They flew about the room, bouncing off one another and hacking mercilessly at each other's lightsabers. 

Padmé could no longer feel the crunch of glass beneath her feet or the loud splash that accompanied her every step. All she could hear, all she could see, was him. The man who made her life a living nightmare for years and convinced her it was all worth it. A demon.

They fiercely clashed around the rim of the central square. With a well placed kick, she knocked her master backwards into the pit. Sidious landed with a thud on his back, but before he could rise she leapt down to him and swung for his neck. The Sith raised his blade to meet hers. Crimson sparks flew into the air as she pressed down hard on his lightsaber. It edged closer and closer towards him. The Sith cackled in her face, adding more fuel to her fury. Snarling through her teeth, she curled her weapon around with expert precision and severed his weapon-wielding hand in one quick motion. Sidious let out a hiss of pain. His lightsaber and hand clattered to the floor beside him into the thick layer of green water that had collected in the bottom of the square pit.

Padmé raised the tip of her lightsaber to his neck. Her chest was heaving. There lay her master before her, completely defenceless. If she wanted, she could flay him. Pull him limb from limb. Slowly carve out his insides and make him watch as she crushed them one by one. The thought sent chills racing across her skin. A smile curved her lips. "Do it," Sidious snapped up at her. "Kill me, just like you have always wanted to." 

"Believe me, I intend to," she growled, leaning down closer and raising her blade to hover above his face. Just before she seared away his vision, a flash of crimson caught her eyes. The trigger was still clutched in his remaining hand. Cocking her head around to the bacta tanks with the bodies, her eyes landed on the twins' blank expressions. They were terrified, she could feel it. Their rounded cheeks were terribly pale. At their age, she had seen a man tortured to death. It haunted her dreams for years to come. Padmé had no idea how much they could see or hear, but there was no way she could ever allow them to go through the same thing. 

"What are you waiting for?" Sidious howled. "I've been killing all the people you have ever loved for years. I turned you into an empty shell. Don't you want revenge?"

Turning back to Sidious, she bore her teeth like a rabid animal. "Yes. I do," she snapped back. Livid rage still burned within her. "But don't you know?" she cocked her head to one side and furrowed her brows. "I'm through with taking orders from you." Twirling her lightsaber around, she severed his remaining limbs. They splashed down into the green liquid he lay in. Sidious let out a scream of pain.

Padmé stooped down and scooped up the trigger from his unattached hand. Sheathing her lightsaber, she clipped it to her belt. Turning away from him, she trotted up to the four tanks. Just as before, their faces were completely expressionless and eyes glossed over. Through the force however, she could detect a tirade of emotions. The twins were still terrified, but Anakin and Obi-Wan seemed relieved. 

One by one, she deactivated their bacta tanks. The green solution slowly began to drain away. The anger in Padmé's heart was fizzling out. Her clothes were sopping wet with bacta solution and she was fairly certain there were shards of glass buried in her arms, but she hardly noticed it. Her heart was still pounding too fast. 

Sidious's presence riled up behind her. Before she could retaliate, a huge wave of power washed over her, flinging her across the room and away from the twins. Padmé's back collided with a bacta tank, her head smacking off it glass. Falling to the floor at its base, the world spun around her. A pounding headache erupted within her skull. "You stupid girl," Sidious spat. "I don't need limbs to kill you." Just as her vision began to focus, she caught sight of blue lightning zipping through the air towards her. Time slowed to a nearly grinding halt. Padmé could feel the raw power behind the strike. That lightning was going to kill her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she braced herself for pain. It never came. Instead, a loud shriek filled the air. Padmé's eyes snapped open. Brilliant, blue light blinded her, but she could make out the distinct silhouette of a monkey standing in front of her, quaking with the intensity of the blow. As soon as the burst of lightning came, it vanished. The monkey was flung off to the side.

Padmé lurched forwards, blinking light spots from her eyes. Sidious was still lying exactly where she left him, severed limbs littered the ground around him. Yet his focus was not on her any longer. Instead, his yellowed eyes were staring down at the huge machine wrapped around his chest. It sparked and crackled. It's lights blinked and flickered. "No, no, NO," he yelled. There was a high pitched wheeze followed by a loud blast. Padmé threw and arm over her eyes to shield herself from the wall of heat that came crashing down on her. Once again, there was a bright flash of light.

A high pitched noise rung in her ears long after the explosion ended. Pulling her arm away from her face, she scanned the room. Sidious was lying in several pieces all across the floor. The previously green pool that had collected in the central square was now scarlet red and littered with all sorts of machinery and biological matter. The bacta tanks had nearly completely drained. Its inhabitants were sluggishly staring around and pulling the masks from their faces. The twin's distress skyrocketed.

A tiny movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Padmé's head snapped around. A small green monkey with several patches of black, charred fur was twitching on the floor not too far from her. Pulling herself to her feet, she staggered over to the monkey. Collapsing to her knees by its side, she collected it into her arms. Despite the sizzling fur, she could pick out the white patch that spanned the creatures nose. "Greenie?" Padmé whimpered, pulling her close.

The monkey let out a tiny squeak and lifted a trembling hand towards Padmé's face. Padmé gently raised Greenie's body until they were face to face. Half-lidded, golden eyes peered out at her. Padmé's heart stopped beating. The little monkey stiffly placed two hands on her shoulders and shifted her head closer. Greenie pressed her tiny lips against Padmé's cheek. Hot tears welled in Padmé's eyes. "I love you too," she murmured softly, her voice trembling.

Padmé manoeuvred Greenie so that she was cradling her like a baby. The monkey let out a weak chirp. Behind her, she could hear feet splashing in the bacta solution. Voices speaking in hushed tones. Anakin telling the children not to look at the body.

Greenie's body began to grow limp. The twinkle faded from her eyes. "Please don't leave me," Padmé begged quietly, warm tears streaming down her cheeks. The monkey let out another soft squeak. She went still and the force drained from her. Hugging her closer, Padmé choked back a sob. A fine quake rattled her. 

A shrill sheik rang through the air. From out of nowhere, the male monkey Greenie had introduced them to darted over to Padmé's side. She gently laid her fallen friend's body on the ground. The male wailed, desperately shaking Greenie's lifeless body. No matter how hard he tried, she would not stir. Padmé squeezed her eyes shut, and buried her face in her hands. No longer could she suppress the sobs that wracked her body.

Two sets of thundering footsteps came splashing along the floor behind her. Padmé had no time to prepare before Luke and Leia wrapped their arms around her. Still, they were trembling in terror and taking in shaky, tearful breaths. Pulling herself from their grasps, she turned to face them and rose into a crouch. Their eyes were blotted and red, their cheeks covered in a slick sheen of tears. Wrapping an arm around each of them, she tugged them in close. Their sweet scent washed over her and their sopping wetness seeped into her clothes.

Greenie's partner's screams still rung through the air. Peering over the twin's shoulders, she caught sight of Anakin walking over to them. His clothes were dripping with bacta solution and his wet hair clung tightly to his scalp. The corners of his lips were tugged down. When their eyes met, his whole face crinkled. Deep wrinkles formed around his eyes and etched into his forehead. With his light presence, he reached out and wrapped himself around her mind. His warmth pacified her thundering heart, but it ached all the same. Padmé contracted her walls around her mind. They weren't tight, no where near as locked down as they had once been, but she couldn't allow the twins full access to her mind. Not when her past was so close.


	17. On The Water

The lake's waters were glistening brightly. From the pebbly beach she stood on, she could see the form of a tiny green monkey floating away on a makeshift raft. The body was completely limp, but decorated beautifully with all kinds of colourful flowers and plants. Birds twittered in the air. The warm sun burned at her skin. The twins were on either side of her, grasping her hands and watching the raft wordlessly. Anakin and Obi-Wan were there as well. The force was somber and gloomily hung around them. Padmé hadn't asked them to do this, but the twins had spent hours collecting all of the resources and decorations for the float. She supposed if Greenie would want to be laid to rest anywhere, it would be with her babies. At least, that's what Padmé would have wanted.

As she stared at the lifeless body, she kept waiting for it to twitch, or move, or even just blink. She'd take anything. Silently, she pleaded Greenie to get up. To somehow swing back into her life as seamlessly as she had before. To come bounding out of the trees and wrap her into a tight hug. To hear her call one last time. Even as the raft drifted away, she found herself holding on to the hope they would meet again one day.

Greenie was the first person Padmé ever really loved. The soft spot in her heart after years of Sidious hardening it. Even when she was betrayed, the monkey forgave Padmé. She remembered her after so many years apart. In loosing her, Padmé felt like she was loosing part of herself. Her first best-friend. The only person she was ever fully truthful to. 

A gentle breeze blew past her face, brushing a few stray curls away from her eyes. Clenching her jaw, she inhaled deeply. Palpatine was dead, and she was glad of it, but that would never undo the pain and the misery he had wrought cross the universe. The bones at the bottom of that lake would always remain bones at the bottom of the lake.

"Padmé," Obi-Wan whispered. Turning her head to him, he nodded to the tick tree line behind them. Padmé's eyes widened when they landed on the branches that overhung the pebbled shore. They were spotted with several green monkeys. All but one had some sort of white patch on their fur. Their eyes were following the float across the water's surface. Padmé drew in a deep gasp, catching the gaze of Greenie's mate. He cooed softly. Somehow, she knew all of those monkeys were Greenie's children. The babies she had after her first litter was drowned before her eyes. 

Padmé's heart clenched. Greenie wasn't dead. Not really. Part of her lived through every single on of her children and would for generations to come. A sad smile curved her lips. They would carry her legacy.

*

Padmé stared out at the hypnotic blue streaks of hyperspace that zoomed past the circular view port. The cockpit rocked around her. Anakin was seated in the pilot seat, his eyes peering blankly at curving console before him. She was leaning back into the co-pilot seat, just an arms length away. A weary numbness was buzzing within her mind. Not even the dim lighting and hypnotic view could bring her any closer to dormancy. Further back in the ship, out of their sight, she could feel the ebb and flow of the twins' presences. They were soundly asleep. Obi-Wan had taken a different ship, one he had borrowed whilst trying to save the twins. He thought it was his duty to return it to the poor woman he had stolen it from. 

"Padmé," Anakin called her name gently, his voice hardly a whisper. Flicking her eyes over, she caught his steady gaze. The look in his eyes spoke of intense guilt and shame. "I'm sorry," he spoke in a murmur. Padmé cocked a brow, her sluggish mind trailing behind her. "Before we went to confront Sidious... what I said was not okay.." he trailed off, a line forming between his brows.

"Yet completely true," she responded, clasping her arms over her stomach. "I've said worse to you in the past," she reminded him, a heavy feeling settling on her shoulders. "It wasn't the only thing you were right about either," she sighed. "It wasn't me that killed Orion, Sidious did, if that makes you feel any better." Wrinkles formed across his nose.

"It doesn't," he stated, a familiar sadness creeping into his eyes. "Even if what I said to you was true, that doesn't make it okay," he argued, lifting a hand and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I should have trusted you, you've never shied away from a challenge before and you know your limits a lot better than I do."

Padmé reached out, grasping his free hand in her own. He peered over at her, his eyes still apologising. "Anakin, you were just trying to keep me safe," she gently assured him. "Although the words hurt, they were justified. It was a big risk I took facing Palpatine, especially after our last meeting, but it was necessary." He shook his head and opened his mouth to argue further, but she beat him to the punch. "If anyone is apologising for something, it should be me." He scrunched up his features and shot her a quizzical look. "For lying to you for years and betraying you when you needed me most." Anakin's brows sprung upwards. She tried to pull her hand from his, but he only tightened his grip. "I didn't apologise at first because I wasn't sorry," she admitted, her eyes falling to her lap. "I really did believe everything I was doing was for the greater good." She let out a humourless chuckle. Lifting her gaze to his, guilt stirred within her. He was staring at her with his broken heart reflecting in his sapphire irises. "By the time I realised what a fool I was, I had no idea how to apologise."

Anakin shifted their clasped hands over to her lap, released it and laid a warm palm over her knee. "I forgave you the moment I realised you never really had a choice," he admitted, leaning closer towards her. His brows crinkled together. "You shouldn’t apologise for following the commands of someone who manipulated you into trusting them."

"They were still my actions and my choices Anakin," she told him firmly. "Although a lot of blame could be placed on Sidious, it would be unjust for me to turn a blind eye to the awful things I did in his name." His frown deepened. "I should never have allowed myself to get involved with you. It wasn't fair."

Anakin reared backwards, pulling his hand away from her knee. "What are you trying to say?" he asked, his voice hardening and eyes narrowing to tiny slits.

"That all the pain I caused you could have been avoided if only I'd had more self control," she responded calmly, holding his fearful gaze. "I'm sorry."

Anakin's lips parted slightly, his forehead crinkled. For a moment he just stared at her, his force presence was twisting itself into knots around him. "No, that's one thing I will never accept an apology for," he told her sternly, his hands clenching into tight fists. "My life would have been so empty without you," he explained with a steely tone. "In my darkest hours of the war, it was the thought of you that kept me going." The muscles in his jaw went taught, his eyes staring angrily at the control panel before him. "If there never was any us, there never could have been any Luke or Leia."

Padmé sat back in her seat, running a hand across her chin. It was true, she had given him a world of hurt, but she also had experienced some of the happiest moments of her life along side him. Perhaps the good really did outweigh the bad. Casting her gaze towards him, she could see him watching her from the corner of his eye. His face was trapped in a light scowl. "Okay," she hummed. "I won't apologise for the love we shared, but I am still sorry for tricking you into believing I was someone I was not."

Anakin's expression softened and he turned back around to face her. "I still remember so clearly when your mental shields were blown away by Luke and Leia when you were giving birth." The corners of his lips curled up into a feint smile. Padmé felt goosebumps prickled her body. The feelings of disgust she had felt at being so openly exposed were still burned into her mind. "It was the first time I really felt you." His shoulders dropped slightly, eyes glossing over. "On Mustafar, Naboo, the ship, the first fight with Palpatine and even the trip to the hospital, it just felt like I was banging on a solid wall every time I tried to reach out to you." Padmé felt guilt she didn't really understand creeping up inside of her and began to fiddle with her fingers. "Then all of a sudden, you were burning so intensely in the force." The smile returned to his lips, wider than before. "The sheer amount of your mind I didn't recognise terrified me but, at the core of it all, you were the same Padmé I knew. The same Padmé I loved."

Padmé tore her gaze away from him, heat blushed her eyes. Placing a hand over them, she drew in a deep breath. "The person you lied to the most, was yourself," he told her softly.

Sniffing, she blinked away the liquid that had collected in her eyes and lifted her head from her hand to face him. "Will you just accept my apology," she retorted, sending him a playful smile.

"Fine, then you need to accept mine," he stated, flashing her a mischievous grin.

"Deal," she answered promptly, jutting out and open hand towards him, With a chuckle, he reached out and gave it a firm shake. Sucking in a deep breath, she pressed her lips into a thin line. "The first moment I am able to, I will let you see what's really in my mind again."

Anakin's smile warmed his gaze. Reaching out, he tucked a loose curl behind her ear. "There is no rush Padmé," he murmured softly. "Healing takes time." Retracting his hand back to his lap, his eyes drifted away from hers. She could feel his mind lamenting over something. Silently, she watched and waited. After a moment of deliberation, his head snapped towards her and his eyes bore into her own. The intensity of his stare caught her a little off guard. "I could never bring myself to file a divorce because I still love you." Padmé's brows shot up, the breath caught in her throat. Of all the things she expected him to say, that was not it. "If you want one, we can get it when we return to Coruscant," his voice wavered ever so slightly, his eyes dropped to the floor.

A giddy grin warmed her cheeks. Reaching a hand out, she curled a finger beneath his chin and lifted his moping gaze to meet hers. "I fell in love with you because of your honesty," she informed him sternly, "and it hasn't failed you yet." A twinkle of delight shone in his eyes. Grasping her wrist, he laid her hand across his cheek and leaned into her palm before placing his own hand atop hers. 

"If we are confessing things, then there is something you should know," she told him coyly. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. Of course she would have had to tell him eventually, but she had no idea how he was going to react. A small line developed between his brows, but he didn't lift his face from her hand. "I have felt a little light-side disturbance in the force over the past day. One that wasn't there before." Anakin pulled his head up, still grasping her hand with his own. The confusion on his face grew tenfold. Padmé's heart was racing out of control, but it was too late to back out now. "I think I'm pregnant again Ani," she whispered.

Anakin went completely still. His eyes widened a fraction. Padmé could practically feel him struggling to process the information. A shock of fear ran through her body. It was too soon to tell him. She should have waited. Maybe he didn't even want anymore kids. His emotions changed in a snap. A smile began to edge itself onto his face. "Are you serious?" he whispered back, his brows lifting and eyes sparkling. 

Padmé nodded her head, relief washing over her. Anakin lunged from his seat, trapping her in a tight hug before she could protest. She squealed as he knelt on the ground in front of her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Letting out a laugh, she gently patted his head. Craning his neck up towards her, he sent her a lop-sided smile. "Close your eyes," he told her softly. Padmé teasingly narrowed her eyes at him before finally obliging the request. Anakin stood abruptly to his feet and moved himself behind her. She heard leather rustle. After a few moments, something small and hard was delicately placed on her chest. A long thin object brushed the top of her ears. Wrapping a hand around her hair, he delicately lifted it from her neck, pulled something over it and laid her mass of curls over her shoulders. "Okay, you can look now."

Padmé peeled her eyes open and stared down at her chest. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart faltered. A rectangular, hand carved, wooden pendant was dangling from a string around her neck. The japor snippet. Padmé brushed a few fingers over its rough surface. Warm tears sprung to her eyes. “Oh Anakin,” she murmured

"I have kept it with me since the moment I woke with it in my hand," he admitted slowly. "I never knew how to give it back, or if you'd even want it..."

Padmé lifted herself to her feet and turned to face him. A single tear leaked from her eye. He stared at it warily. "I always assumed you burned it on Mustafar," she admitted, smiling at him sheepishly. Anakin's lips curled up at the statement. Reaching out, she grasped his face in her hands and pulled him into a tender kiss. Unlike before, he wasted no time frozen to the spot. Gripping her hips tightly, her pulled her body into his. Goosebumps raced across her skin. Lifting her arms, she wrapped them around his neck.

Two tiny gasps caught her attention. Pulling herself away from him, she peered around his shoulders towards the entrance to the cockpit. Luke and Leia were staring at them with open mouths. Anakin hadn't turned towards them yet but from the bitter disappointment on his face, it was evident he knew exactly who had walked into the room. "They are definitely not allergic to one another," Luke whispered slyly to his sister. She simply rolled her eyes.

Stepping around their father towards them, she cocked a brow and placed her hands on her hip. "You two are supposed to be in bed," she scolded them lightly. Anakin let out a gentle sigh and swivelled around to face them.

"We were asleep," Leia protested, rubbing at her eyes. "But there was a lot of noise in here."

Padmé felt a smile jump onto her face. "Okay, well I'll come through with you now and make sure you go back to sleep," she told them, herding them back into the belly of the ship with a wave of her arms. When they tried before, they hadn't been able to sleep out of the sheer terror Palpatine had inflicted upon them. They were going to need assurance for a while, which Padmé was more than happy to provide. 

Before she stepped out of the cockpit herself, she looked back over her shoulder and shot Anakin a wink. Clenching his jaw, he shook his head and sent her a playful smile. In other words, they would finish this another time.


	18. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t beleive this story is finished already. What started as nothing more than a half-lucid dream ended up being a 60,000 word monster. Thanks for taking time to read this fic, I hope you enjoyed!

Padmé's slipped noiselessly into her apartment. The door slid shut behind her with a distinct 'ssk'. The compact kitchen beyond was dimly lit. Only the last few straggling rays of the sunset shone through her window. Slipping her bag over her head, she placed it gently on a rounded table to her side. Not a single sound permeated through the gloom. Dusting herself off, she crept through the apartment. 

The living room she entered was just as poorly lit as the kitchen. Everything was washed in grey and Padmé had to squint to make out the bundle of clothing and limbs splayed across the angular couches. The rounded glass table in the centre of the room intensely reflected the last few drops of daylight. Edging around it, she hovered over the occupied couch. It was Anakin. A warm smile tugged at her lips. He was declined into the backrest, his head tilted forwards and arms wrapped around a tiny little infant that lay across his chest. Just like her father, the baby was completely unconscious and its head buried into the crook of his neck. On either side of him, a twin lay sprawled across the couch. Their tiny Jedi uniforms were in complete disarray around them.

Padmé would have taken a holo snapshot, but she already had several like it and she didn't want to risk waking them. After taking a moment to absorb the sight, she lifted a palm and closed her eyes over. The force purred beneath her touch, easily flowing through her. Her family’s light shone like blinding beacon before her very soul. When she snapped her eyes open once more, the two twins were hovering in the air. Their heads lolled to one side and arms flapped uselessly around them. Suppressing a giggle, she crept back through a short series of dark hallways. All the while, the twins were hanging in the air behind her. Wrapping her warmth around them, she prevented them from stirring to wakefulness. 

Stalking into a small bedroom, she floated the twins down into a pair of single beds that were pressed against the far wall. After releasing her grip on them, she flicked a wrist and the hallway light flickered on. It's yellowed light poured into the room through the open doorway. Clambering over a mess of machine parts, datapads and colourful drawings, she found herself standing before a wide, rectangular window that peered out across Coruscant's skyline. Reaching her arms out, she grasped the soft curtain fabric that draped down from above and tugged it tightly shut. Next she moved to each twin's bedside, pulled the covers up to their chins and planted a kiss on their foreheads. Just as she ducked out of the room and slowly shut the door over, she heard them utter "goodnight, mommy," in perfect unison. A warm smile graced her face.

Putting herself back in motion, she returned to the living room only to find Anakin awake and standing in the doorway. With one hand he rubbed at his eyes, the other he clutched the baby to his chest. The little girl's head rested on his shoulder, her small hands gripped at the lapels of his dark tunic despite being completely asleep. "Welcome home," he croaked, dropping his free arm to his side and peering at her with lazy eyes. Padmé shot him a lopsided smirk. "We tried to wait for you to get back... but it didn't quite work out as planned," he drawled yawning wide.

"I'm guessing it was you that fell asleep first?" she teased him. When he sent her a guilty grin, that was all the response she needed. Padmé didn't blame him, being in charge of three children for several hours would wear a person out completely. She had been tied up at work and unable to make it home until much later than normal, leaving him to fend for himself. From experience, she knew trying to manage three force sensitive children was a nightmare worth ripping out your hair. Cocking a head to one side, she asked, "why were you staying up?"

Anakin blinked slowly, his face went completely blank. With a jolt, his brows shot up and his eyes went wide. The expression relaxed into a cocky smirk. "I have a surprise for you," he sang. The baby on his shoulder shifted a little, letting out a little gurgle.

"Okay," Padmé hummed. "But we should probably put the little one to bed first." 

Anakin's eyes flicked down to the baby, his lips twitching downwards. Shifting her in his grasp, he cradled her close to his chest. Suppressing an amused laugh, she led him through the apartment into a tiny room. At its centre was a tall crib, toys dangling down over its wide opening. The walls were lined with sturdy cabinets and all kinds of colourful child care tools. Waiting by the doorway, she watched as he leant down over the crib and delicately laid the baby down. Tucking her in, he planted a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight Greenie," he whispered, reluctantly pulling himself away from the crib.

As he approached Padmé, he grasped her wrist and pulled her out of the baby's room and into their own. His excitement was rising like a balloon within him. The moment she stepped within the threshold, he flicked the bright lights on. Their room was primarily yellows and creams, she had offered to change that when he moved in but he had assured her he didn't really mind. The majority of the room was taken up by the large four poster bed at its centre. A long, yellow duvet draped over its edges and plush white pillows were laid onto the headboard. Despite all the bright colours, what caught her attention the most was the fairly small, open, cardboard box that sat on top of the end of the bed. Even from afar, she could sense something living stirring within it.

Padmé shot a wary glance at Anakin and he responded with a confident nod. Stalking closer to the box, she peered inside. Two wide golden eyes met her own. Reaching out, she slowly pulled back one of the boxes flaps. Inside was a tiny, monkey-like creatures with huge bat-like ears and a long curling tail. It's grey fur was puffy and looked incredibly soft to the touch. The poor thing cowered in a corner, its arms wrapped around itself. It let out a soft cheep as it stared at her intently. "Anakin," Padmé whispered, placing a hand over her mouth and cocking her head up towards him. 

Anakin was watching her with a somber smile. "I found it in a tiny cage in the under city," he explained. "I was arresting its breeder for keeping his animals in inhumane conditions." Padmé's heart melted slightly as she stared down at the creature’s quivering form. "It's a Rantat from the jungle planet Risco, and I happen to know that species has a very similar temperament to the swamp monkeys of Naboo." Snapping her head back towards him, her jaw went slack. "I also happen to know you have a knack for nursing monkeys back to health an-" before he could finish the sentence, she wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him in for a tight hug. Returning her embrace, he leaned his jaw on the top of her head. 

For a long while, she just relished in his proximity. The warmth of his body gently heated her skin. The repetitive thumping of his heart pounded in his chest. That bitter-sweet, citrusy scent of his washed over her. "After all this time, you're still wearing the same old cologne," she chuckled, holding him tight.

"You told me you liked it during that first picnic we had on Naboo," he explained, his voice rumbling in his chest. "So I never really thought to change it." Yes, Padmé remembered that day. It was one of her fondest memories. Perhaps that was the reason she felt her mood lifted every time she caught a draft of his distinctive scent.

Padmé pulled herself from his arms, caught his gaze and shook her head with a soft smile. "You're unbelievable," she laughed quietly. Anakin's brows pulled into a gentle frown but before he could question her, she grasped his tunic and tugged him down to her level. It was him that closed the gap between them. Their lips pressed against one another. For the first time in a long time, she realised she was well and truly happy.


End file.
